Copenhagen – City Goods Certificate
A 1997 report states that every day, an average of 3,500 trucks and delivery vehicles move within a 1 sq. km area in the center of Copenhagen, making 6,000 trips. In turn, an observation of the capacity utilization level of delivery vehicles moving within the borders of Copenhagen’s center, Middelalderbyen, conducted between 1998-2000, showed their capacity utilization as follows:
• at least 60% for 15% of vehicles
• 20-60% for 30% of vehicles
• only 20% or less for as many as 55% of vehicles.
This led to the introduction of a solution called the City Goods Ordinance in February 2002. It was assumed that vehicles with a load capacity of over 2.5 tons without a special certificate, the City Goods Certificate, could not stop in the area designated by the streets Voldgaderne, Gothersgade, Kongens Nytorv, Holmens Kanal, Stormgade (map 1).
Four types of certificates were introduced (fig. 1):
Green Certificate – for vehicles no older than eight years and utilizing their capacity by at least 60%. Certificate price – 325 DKr (44 EUR);
Yellow Certificate – for vehicles not meeting the Green Certificate conditions and no longer than 6 meters, with a load capacity of up to 3.5 tons and registered no later than January 1, 1997, with the exception of vehicles from companies representing industries on a special list. In their case, registration could not have occurred later than January 1, 1995. This certificate is issued for 6 months. Certificate price – 325 DKr (44 EUR);
Red Certificate – a one-day certificate for vehicles supplying Middelalderbyen incidentally, with no restrictions on age or load capacity. Certificate price – 50 DKr (7 EUR);
London, Stockholm – Congestion Charging Zone
Congestion charging (road pricing) involves paying a fee for the single use of a specific street section or street network. One of the largest systems of this kind in the world was introduced in London in February 2003. Fees of this type were first applied in 1976 in Singapore – these were vignettes at the time. Currently, such systems are used in, among others, Norway – Trondheim, Bergen, and Oslo, Australia – Melbourne, or Canada – Toronto. The purpose of introducing a fee for using the city’s street network is to transfer the costs created by them to the infrastructure users. In other words, money from the fees is allocated to the maintenance and construction of streets, an “ecological tax” aimed at reducing the damage caused by road traffic to the environment, i.e., the internalization of negative externalities caused by a road user. In London, the fee covers a zone with an area of 21 sq. km.
Since February 19, 2007, this zone has been expanded, as shown in map 2. The fee is 8 GBP per day on weekdays between 7:00 AM and 6:30 PM. During this time, a vehicle paying the Congestion Charge has the right to enter the charging zone any number of times. It is also possible to purchase a more cost-effective entry ticket to the charging zone, valid for 5, 20, or 252 consecutive days on which fees apply (charging days). Since June 19, 2006, the “Pay Next Day” option has also been available. When paying the fee after 10:00 PM, it increases by 2 GBP, i.e., to 10 GBP. Residents of the charging zone have been granted a 90% discount on the daily fee. Some types of vehicles are exempt from fees. This applies to two-wheeled vehicles, buses and tourist coaches with more than 9 seats, taxis registered in London, fire brigade, police, NHS (National Health Service) medical assistance vehicles, and other special vehicles. Vehicles with alternative propulsion (gas or electric engines), as well as roadside assistance and emergency vehicles, are also exempt from fees.
Holders of the so-called Blue Badge, i.e., disabled persons who drive a given vehicle or are being transported in it, are also not required to pay fees. Fees can be paid in various ways. The most commonly used are payment or credit cards via a Call Center or the Internet. The fee can also be paid in cash, by check, payment or credit card at a store, gas station, or at post offices. You can also use machines located in the city center or via SMS – after prior arrangement of this form with Transport for London (TfL). More than 700 cameras are installed at the border and inside the toll zone, which record the license plates of all vehicles entering it. This information is verified daily at midnight in a central database. If a vehicle liable for the fee is detected that has not paid it by 10:00 PM, its license plate number is forwarded to the Driver & Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) and the vehicle owner receives a fine of 100 GBP.