Yuichi MATSUI

Time-of-Day Traffic Estimation of Toll Discounts for Expressways and their Impact Evaluation

Syoji MATSUMOTO ,Kazushi SANO

Serious traffic congestion arises along the Niigata-Shibata bypass crossing the Aganogawa River during the morning peak period. To relieve traffic congestion on the bypass, national and local governments conducted demonstration projects of a 50% toll discount for the expressway Nittodo locating parallel to the bypass. This study estimates a time-of-day OD matrix and traffic flow using the user equilibrium assignment method for the Niigata metropolitan area, and evaluates the toll discount projects of expressway economically as well as financially. The assignment resulted in good fitness for both standard (non-discount) and discount cases. In case of a 50% discount for the expressway, assuming a demonstration project conducted in the winter 2004, its traffic volume is estimated to increase to 3.3 times of a non-discount case. Economic net benefit reaches highest at a 75% discount, but toll income of the expressway corporation reaches highest at a 50% discount. The study shows that a 50% discount is the most desirable for the Niigata area as a whole under the present system of toll expressways.