Research On The Traffic Congestion Charge Under Travel Value Of Time

Taking the road traffic for the absolute leading transport system, the network scale and capacity in China have experienced an unprecedented development in the recent decades. As traffic flow being driven by a surge of the people’s life improvement and the automotive industry policy, the rapid growing road congestion directly causes traffic supply failing to keep up with the pace of the travel demand of residents. Due to the rapid growth of total traffic demand and the diversity and complexity of the demand structure, the major significance should be attached to the fact that the traffic tension situation between supply and demand has not yet been fundamentally alleviated. Therefore, facing the severe urban traffic congestion created by the remarkable increasing number of vehicles, the mega-cities have vigorously introduced sundry measures to ease traffic congestion in close succession, such as: the supply of high-density, differentiated management and intensive use policies. Under these circumstances, congestion charge will be implemented by the local government as well as gradually become a pivotal role in next transportation demand management policies.From the perspective of heterogeneous travel value of time(VOT) of different residents group, the congestion charge problem has been analyzed by adopting an overall theory and empirical strategic approach. More specifically, combining with the macro- and micro- traffic simulation to deeply demonstrate theoretical feasibility and practical operability of congestion charge, the paper builds the congestion charging model under the VOT(VOT-CC Model) guided by the traffic congestion theory and the framework of economics. Around the research objectives, the main contents of this dissertation are as follows: Firstly, gaining a comprehensive understanding of VOT and congestion charge in both broad and narrow side, this paper elaborates the affecting factors and calculation methods of VOT, and then analyzes the existing congestion charging methods and problems in the implementation process. Secondly, in order to explicitly realize the relationship between VOT and congestion charge, it is essential that I give particular hypothesis to constructing VOT-CC Model, so as to reveal the mechanism of traffic congestion through interactive relationship of traveler-- vehicle transportation system, eventually testing by the model simulation and empirical case. Thirdly, in addition to further analyze traffic congestion in Beijing, four basic principles have been proposed for the Beijing congestion charging policy from dual dimensions of time and space. Thereby, by discussing the key factors of congestion charging and designing top-level policy charging scheme, it’s contributed to offer available measures for the policymakers to establish long-term congestion charging system mechanism.The results show: first of all, owing to comprehensively measure their own preferences and road use, residents will choose the right path, prompt the operation load increase and expand the area of traffic jam, resulting in traffic road network comprehensive congestion and worsening the residents travel value of time. In addition, in view of the congestion charging involved time of value, residents with a rigid travel will face various paths for different cost, which will lower the elasticity of the travel demand. Furthermore, the traffic flow shifting to off-peak hours can not only ease traffic congestion during peak periods, but also boost recognition of congestion charging under the equitable principle. Last but not least, in terms of charging groups, the main charges object are the small buses and non-public transport buses; other types of vehicles get different levels of benefits. From the perspective of Beijing temporal clustering features, congestion charge area sets to inside of second-, third-, and fourth- ring. According to the VOT, the benchmark rates in second-, third-, and fourth- ring is ￥40/h, 30/h, 20/h.