‘Introducing road user charge need not be political suicide’

Jonas Eliasson, the man behind Stockholm’s congestion charge, tells Deniz Huseyin how “the most hated political reform in Sweden’s history” went on to win over the public and change travel behaviour

Jonas Eliasson

12 October 2018

Jonas Eliasson says the success of Stockholm’s road user charge was built on good quality data and modelling

Stockholm’s congestion charge system spans the city centre, with charging points on the main arterials

Traffic levels in Stockholm have fallen since the start of the congestion charge, making streets more pedestrian and cyclist friendly, says Jonas Eliasson

Stockholm’s congestion charge scheme has proved remarkably effective at suppressing traffic levels and encouraging a shift to other modes of transport in the ten plus years since its launch. After initially facing widespread public opposition, it now has majority support, even among those who regularly pay the charge. One of the scheme’s architects, director of the Stockholm City Transport Administration Jonas Eliasson, vividly recalls the uproar around its launch in 2006: “It...