Introduction

Mobility of passengers and freight is vital for social and economic development, but it also create negative effects, like emissions, congestion, wear and tear of infrastructure, accidents and noise. These effects can be valued in monetary terms and regarded as external costs. Internalization of external costs, letting the user pay for them, is encouraged by the European Union as well as in many member states. Road charging can be a useful instrument to help generate revenue for infrastructure investment, encourage cleaner vehicles as well as to reduce congestion.

The R&D project ARENA is supporting the national strategy for road charging in Sweden and establishes a Test Site to demonstrate practical solutions. This work is also the basis for an innovation center in the area of ITS. The ARENA project serves as platform and meeting point for stakeholders within the area of road charging. The aim is to gather knowledge and experience in science, industry and public sector for opportunities and constraints of road charging in a complex, international and competitive environment.

ARENA is funded by the Swedish Transport Administration, the Swedish Transport Agency and Region Blekinge.