Initial findings from the Leicester environmental road tolling scheme

The Leicester environmental road tolling scheme (LERTS) is the first demonstration urban road tolling trial to take place in the UK. It is being sponsored by the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (DETR) as part of its research into ways of addressing the problems associated with traffic congestion in urban areas. The scheme aims to examine the impact of road tolling on private car travel, to encourage greater use of public transport and to improve environmental conditions in the city of Leicester. The trial will evaluate the travel patterns of 100 volunteers in response to different pricing scenarios, while also investigating the technological effectiveness of the tolling system. The on-street trial started in August 1997 and is scheduled to finish in May 1998. This paper provides an outline of the scheme and describes some of the initial findings from the evaluation.