:: blame the extended gestation.... ::

:: Friday, April 23, 2004 ::

Yahoo! News - Sweden to Charge Traffic Toll in Capital:

"Motorists will have to pay a toll of between $1.30 and $2.60 to get into increasingly congested Stockholm during a trial period beginning next year, officials said Thursday.

The 13-month trial period will start on June 1, 2005, and end on July 31, 2006, six weeks ahead of a referendum on whether to make the tax permanent.

'The trial period should be long enough for the Stockholmers to get an idea of how it will work and for a serious and scientific evaluation of the trial,' said Annika Billstroem, head of Stockholm's administration.
The different tolls will depend on the time of day a motorist drives into the Swedish capital and are designed to alleviate traffic congestion and stem pollution. Taxis and buses above a certain weight are exempt.

The city plans to install devices around the city to read electronic tags on the cars. Every time a car is registered, a signal will be sent to a central computer, which will bill the owner.
London adopted a similar plan last year, charging motorists on weekdays to enter a crowded, eight-square-mile zone that includes the bustling financial district.

The tolls were hailed as a success by Mayor Ken Livingstone, who in February said they had cut the traffic volume in central London by 18 percent since the program began. "

:: Jim Nichols 4/23/2004 01:24:00 AM [+] ::
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