User-pays cars in Holland

In the Netherlands, a user-pays system for motorised vehicle use is being introduced. Motorist and motorcyclists will pay for every kilometer they drive on roads, just like gas and electricity is billed by volume. Usage of roads will be charged according to the time of day and place. Vehicles which have higher emissions will pay a higher rate.
In Holland there have been discussions for a long time about the introduction of road use taxes to reduce traffic jams as well as pollution. Each morning there are 160km of traffic jams in Holland and 180 km in the evenings. Agreement could not be reached about local road tolls or petrol usage tax, but the user-pays system has achieved high levels of popular support.
Instead of pedestrians, cyclists and public transport users paying for road use through general taxation, drivers will pay as they drive.
If introduced in other places, such a system would discourage such anti-social practices as driving around to avoid paying parking fees in popular locations such as beach suburbs. It would fairly distribute the cost of driving onto the car owners and make polluters pay. Drivers would reconsider each kilometer driven if the true cost was to be paid and may avoid senseless journeys. It would allow tax money paid by cyclists to be used for cycle paths. Pedestrian facilities could be upgraded. The transport system could reflect true costs rather than subsidising motor vehicles.
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