Stockholm

The Stockholm Experiment

In 2006 in Stockholm, an experiment was carried out with congestion charging and increased public transport. The experiment started on August 22, 2005 when the public transport was bolstered by new bus lines and an expanded timetable for the lines there already were. On January 3, 2006 an environment charge was introduced, a payment to enter a congestion charging zone in the inner part of Stockholm. The experiment was stopped on July 31, 2006, when a referendum was held. The result of the referendum showed that there was general support for introducing an environment charge and that developing public transport should be an integrated part of a more permanent solution to traffic in Stockholm. The Swedish government subsequently decided to introduce the environment charge summer 2007 under the name congestion charge.

Read more on the official congestion charge website here. (Unfortunatly only in swedish)

The principle goals are to reduce congestion, increase the free flow of traffic and improve the environment by trying out a combination of congestion charges and extended public transport. The congestion charge will be levied when crossing a zone boundary around Stockholm's Inner City in both directions. The charge varies between SEK10 and SEK 20 per day. Evening, night public holidays and the days before them are free of charge.

The firste experiences from Stockholm show that traffic passing into the zone has decreased by 10 - 15%. A large number of evaluations of the experiment were made as a basis for the referendum. The most important conclusions from the Stockholm Experiment can be found here.

An informational video about congestion charging in Sweden can be found by clicking here.