Danish congestion charge won't have great impact on emissions or air quality

The planned introduction of congestion charges in Copenhagen will not have a major impact on air quality according to Kåre Press-Kristensen, traffic expert at Denmark's Ecological Council (Det Økologiske Råd).
April 30, 2012 Read time: 1 min
The planned introduction of congestion charges in Copenhagen will not have a major impact on air quality according to Kåre Press-Kristensen, traffic expert at Denmark's 5352 Ecological Council (Det Økologiske Råd). Congestion charges will help reduce emissions but not by as much as they will reduce traffic, he says. The reason is that the charges will primarily keep private cars out of the city and these tend to be new, petrol driven vehicles with realtively low emissions. Diesel driven taxis, delivery trucks and buses will however, continue to operate in the city, spewing out nitrogen and dangerous particles. Press-Kristensen estimates emissions will fall 7-10% with congestion charges while traffic may be reduced by as much as 25%.Steen Solvang Jensen, senior researcher at the Department of Environmental Science at 5353 Aarhus University agrees with Press-Kristensen and says commercial traffic will continue despite a congestion charge.
Highway & Network Management

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • New techniques for tackling congestion
    December 8, 2015
    Transport experts from the Royal Academy of Engineering are proposing methods to reduce traffic congestion. These proposals are included in a discussion document intended to stimulate debate on congestion issues. The working group behind the paper includes industry experts and academic researcher. The team looked at technology and policy measures that could reduce congestion in the most critical transport sectors by 2030, evaluating which measures would be effective and value for money.
    Read More
  • Carbon emissions discussion
    March 22, 2012
    Smarter steps to reduce carbon emissions are being proposed by a new study from The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport in the UK (CILT). With transport accounting for nearly 25% of the UK’s carbon emissions, and at a time when governments are agreeing to move forward together on reducing emissions, CILT is calling for a balanced approach to carbon management and better assessment of the carbon impact in making transport investment choices.
    Read More
  • Experts call for road pricing instead of a ring road for Copenhagen
    April 24, 2012
    Danish traffic experts are urging politicians in Copenhagen to opt for road pricing instead of the planned ring road. They point out that GPS-based road pricing is more cost efficient than a ring road, and can be introduced in just three to five years.
    Read More
  • Make the case for electronic tolling, ASECAP conference delegates heard
    September 14, 2015
    Mobility pricing and electronic tolling is the future, delegates to a recent ASECAP Study Days conference, reports Geoff Hadwick at the Lisbon event. The international road tolling industry is failing to make its case and the sector is losing out to other social and political lobby groups. As a result, “tolling is still on the sidelines”, according to the head of the Washington-based International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association. IBTTA chief executive Pat Jones issued his stark warning at the
    Read More

Highlighted Content