This report summarises a research study of traffic restraint, with innovative inclusions on environmental, social and air pollution, and noise integrated into a calibrated equilibrium multi commodity model written by the TRRL.The study was undertaken within the Department of the Environment (including the Transport and Road Research Laboratory); consultants provided assistance for the final report.

The study considered the application of five alternative restraint systems in towns and cities (supplementary licencing, road pricing, cordon pricing, parking control and physical restraint) are studied in the context of the City of Coventry from the viewpoint of economic benefits and costs, feasibility, environmental effects, impact on different social groups and land uses and legislative issues. The study relies to a considerable degree on a transport model for predicting future traffic flows and associated transport economics, before and after the application of the four fiscal systems, although several aspects of the study are less dependent on the model. Physical restraint is studied on the basis of past engineering experience. The study reaches several important conclusions indicating all systems have some potential in given circumstances.

The study was primarily related to the early 1980s, but on certain aspects some more tentative conclusions are presented relating to the 1990s.TRRL developed and implemented the (all innovative) technical modelling methods for pricing, environmental and distributional impacts, including noise and various forms of air pollution, led by TRRL Dr M.R. Wigan with T.J.G. Bamford, J. A. Broughton, N.J.Paulley, I.M.Lynam (The original work is at https://works.bepress.com/mwigan/27: the massaging done for official DoE release was and is most instructive). These materials were added to and reexpressed in a wider context by contractors Jamison and Mackay and Colin Buchanan and Partners for the eventual issue as DOE Reports 14 and 15..

Membership of The Department of the Environment Working Group on Traffic Restraint

Mr A.P.Goode (Chairman)

Mr A.R.Cawthorne, Dr M R Wigan Transportation of the Road Research Laboratory

Mr D.T.Routh, Mr G.H.Rapson, Mr D.V.Teasdale, Mr R.T.Thorndike Local Transportation and Roads Directorate

Mr J.Peake Urban and Affairs and Commercial Property Directorate

Mr J.K.Welsby, Mr C.Simpson Directorate of Economics and Statistics (Transport)

Dr B.H.Orr (Secretary) Directorate of Research Requirements