Optimal locations for road pricing cordons

The performance of road pricing schemes, in reducing congestion and enhancing the environment, is critically dependent on the design and location of the cordon. This paper reports on work being conducted to develop improved methods of identifying optimal cordon locations. The methodology has been developed from two sources: a review of the practical and judgmental considerations in determining cordon locations; and a mathematical approach which both determines the best set of links to charge in a network and specifies the optimal charges at each. The paper first discusses the judgmental approach, briefly describes the theoretical approach and displays the theoretical approach for a simple network. It then draws brief conclusions