Road pricing simulations: Traffic, land use and welfare impacts for Austin, Texas

This article explores the traffic, land use and welfare impacts of road pricing in the Austin (Texas, USA) region, including the introduction of planned toll roads, bridge tolls, and a downtown cordon toll. Different tolling strategies are examined, including fixed versus variable toll rates. The travel demand model (TDM) incorporates joint mode and time-of-day choice models, as well as multinomial model of destination choice, relying on a full feedback of travel times and costs. Austin-calibrated DRAM-EMPAL models are used to predict future household and job distributions. Results include traffic redistribution over space and time, long-term location choice changes, and traveler welfare implications. While the proposed toll roads to generate revenues and enhance traveler options, their estimated project costs are not estimated to exceeds such benefits. In addition, the bridge tolls are expected to successfully redistribute traffic, while the downtown area appears highly sensitive to cordon tolls.