Effects of dynamic pricing on an expressway and COVID-19 impact during Tokyo 2020 Games Available to Purchase

During the Tokyo 2020 Games, athletes and officials were required to travel from the Olympic Village to each competition venue up to 60 km away within 60 min. Various preliminary analyses were conducted on the Metropolitan Expressway (MEX), which comprised a major section of the transportation route, to assess the effectiveness of traffic management measures to avoid congestion. This study’s objective is not to verify these preliminary analyses and evaluations, but rather to examine the actual effects of traffic management measures on the MEX, especially dynamic pricing, and the impact of the spread of COVID-19 on travel on the MEX. The findings show that there was no significant correlation between the number of COVID-19 cases and the average daily traffic of users eligible for dynamic pricing before and during the Olympic Games. In addition, statistically significant effects were confirmed, including a 25% decrease in traffic volume on the MEX during the 1000 JPY additional toll period. It is estimated that the balance between traffic capacity and demand was adjusted to a level that almost eliminated congestion by reducing traffic and suppressing the emergence of latent demand through methods such as dynamic pricing.