Public acceptability change of urban road pricing schemes

Previous research has demonstrated the low public acceptability of urban road pricing schemes, in particular before being implemented. However, acceptability has changed positively in cities that have introduced road pricing. The reasons for these acceptability changes are unclear. One reason for the acceptability change after the implementation of road pricing could be people's successful reduction of their car use in line with the psychological theory of cognitive dissonance. Therefore, this study investigated public acceptability changes, private car use reductions and their relationship in response to urban road pricing. Data from the AKTA road pricing experiment in Copenhagen, Denmark was used. This dataset provides the unique possibility to link driver's acceptability change with their car use reductions. In contrast to previous studies the majority of participants in AKTA (and in Copenhagen in general) supported road pricing before the start of the field experiment. However, no change in public acceptability was observed as a consequence of the experiment. Global positioning system-based car use indicators as well as subjective reports about car use reductions show that car drivers have reduced their car use in response to road pricing. However, only limited support for a relationship between acceptability change and reductions in car use was found. The implications of these results are discussed.