Study of the accessibility inequalities of cordon-based pricing strategies using a multimodal Theil index

Abstract

The implementation of an appropriate pricing policy in an urban area could alleviate both environmental and congestion problems by encouraging a shift towards more sustainable modes of transportation. However, any positive net social welfare balance delivered by the policy can hide unacceptable regressive effects. Therefore, it is crucial to investigate any change in relative levels of accessibility among different categories of transport network users. This study focuses on the application of a cordon-based congestion pricing scheme on a multimodal network, where private cars and public transportation coexist, and includes a sensitivity analysis by varying the size of the charging area and the amount of the toll, for a monocentric urban reality. Taking into account an elastic demand associated with each proposed charging scenario, the related distributional effects are explored using the Theil index, with a quantitative assessment of the inequalities in the accessibility variations across the users of the network.