Arco Timmermans on the accelerated implementation of road pricing measures
Each week, Dutch radio programme BNR Lobbypanel discusses a topic at the intersection of politics and entrepreneurship. From 2020 Arco Timmermans, Professor by special appointment Public Affairs, will participate each month in the BNR Lobbypanel discussions. This week Timmermans joined the discussion on the subject of road pricing measures.
The plea for accelerated implementation of road pricing is heard more and more often. At the end of the '80s then minister Neelie Kroes was the first to bring up road pricing. Ever since there has been a lot of discussion about how to best go about implementing road pricing measures but after 30 years a plan has yet to be realised. In the BNR Lobbypanel episode of 27 November 2019, Timmersmans joined the discussion on road pricing measures. The panel answered questions such as: Why are people still talking about this after 30 years? Why has it still not been implemented? And what happens if the current government falls before the year is out?
Window of opportunity for implementation road pricing measures
Timmermans says that a window of opportunity will arise at some point in the near future when it will become appealing to actually implement road pricing measures. There are two reasons for this: first of all, it's profitable from a fiscal perspective but also because motorists will be expected to bear a larger share of the burden. Timmermans also pointed out that there should be more discussion about mobility taking place at a system level. If road pricing is to actually become a reality, significant investments should also be made in order to make public transport more attractive, according to Timmermans. Making use of public transportation should be stimulated more than it is now and people most affected by the negative effects of road pricing should be compensated, he says.
Starting 2020 Arco Timmermans will appear each month on the BNR Lobbypanel.