The blue parties Venstre and Liberal Alliance now acknowledge that they will not reject the introduction of road tolls – so-called road pricing – for passenger cars in Denmark.
The blue parties, Venstre and Liberal Alliance, are now opening up the possibility of introducing road charges, also known as road pricing, for passenger cars in Denmark. This marks a shift in the stance of the parties that have previously opposed such charges.
This is what the Althingi writes.
However, both the Liberal Party and the Liberal Alliance emphasize that any introduction of road tolls must not lead to an overall increase in expenses for Danish drivers.
The parties' demand is that the current taxes and costs of being a car owner in Denmark must be restructured if road tolls become a reality.
However, increases are on the way for Danish car owners. An agreement from December 2020 means that all car taxes in Denmark will increase until 2026.
Furthermore, the 4-year-old agreement does not exempt any passenger cars. Even vintage cars that only drive a few kilometers a year will increase by a total of 36.9 percent.
The Social Democrats' transport spokesman, Thomas Jensen, shares the view that road pricing may be a necessary solution in the future. He points out that a pilot project with road pricing has already been initiated in collaboration between DTU and Sund & Bælt.
The experiment examines the effect of road pricing on congestion in the largest cities, Aarhus and Copenhagen. In addition, the experiment includes a scenario for all of Denmark, where there will be increased rates for driving in Aarhus, Copenhagen, Odense and Aalborg.
– I see road pricing as a new opportunity to solve some challenges that are otherwise relatively difficult to solve, says the Liberal Party's transport spokesman, Peter Juel-Jensen, to the media.
The introduction of road tolls is a complex issue with potential consequences for both drivers and inspectors. It is therefore crucial that thorough analysis and research is carried out before a final decision is made.
Tolls have already been introduced for both Danish and foreign trucks on the roads in Denmark. The government also calls the new rule a kilometer toll, and it came into effect on January 1st of this year.
The kilometer toll means that brand new camera vans have been sent onto the roads. The camera vans' sole task is to keep an eye on whether the toll is now being paid.
