The acceptability of road pricing: An application of a theoretical and analytical framework to the realities of decision making in Sydney

Abstract

The literature-based research is complemented by interviews with a modestly sized but diverse and informed sample of respondents. The interviews ‘test’ the conventional wisdom in the literature against the realities of transport planning and political decision making, with an emphasis on applicability to Sydney. The results are that theorists and practitioners largely agree on the key issues to be addressed, however with some variations in priorities or perceived importance, and that the issue of “timing” is largely overlooked in the literature. The level or layer of government where transport decision-making occurs is one notable issue on which agreement is found neither between the respondents and the literature, nor within the sample of respondents themselves. The implications of these findings are discussed.