• Sweden edition
Business & Money

Gothenburg drivers face new inner city fee

Published: 1 Jan 13 02:51 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/45356/20130101/

Sweden's second city Gothenburg introduced a road toll on Tuesday for all motorists entering or leaving the city, similar to one already in place in the capital Stockholm.

The system, aimed at financing infrastructure investments, reducing
greenhouse gases, and cutting traffic in the city centre by around 15 percent, will include some 40 toll stations around the city.

A similar system introduced in Stockholm in 2007 has led to a 15-18 percent reduction of innercity traffic, Swedish Transport Agency (Transportstyrelsen) spokesperson Eva Rosman told news agency TT.

Gothenburg, located on Sweden's west coast, has some 520,000 inhabitants.

Motorists entering and leaving the city on weekdays will pay between eight and 18 kronor (between $1 and $3 ) depending on the time of day, with an upper limit of 60 kronor a day.

The charge is to be paid between the hours of 6:00 am and 6:29 pm. The holiday month of July will be free, as are evenings and weekends. Cars with foreign license plates and emergency vehicles will be exempt.

Overhead cameras will register the licence plates of cars entering or leaving city limits. Motorists can either have the amount automatically deducted from their bank account or pay a bill in some shops or by internet.

Motorists who don't pay will be fined 500 kronor.

Gothenburg's city hall approved the congestion charge in a vote in 2010. It was later approved by the Swedish parliament.

But many residents are opposed to the toll, and some 45,000 people have signed a petition calling for a referendum to be held on the issue.

AFP/The Local/at
Follow The Local on Twitter

What do you think? Leave your comment below.

Your comments about this article:

The comments below have not been moderated in advance and are not produced by The Local unless clearly stated. Readers are responsible for the content of their own comments. Comments that breach our terms and conditions will be removed.

10:04 January 2, 2013 by voiceofreason
Referendum, Referendum, Referendum

This is just another form of double taxation. I wonder who is worse, the absolute kings of old or the elected leaders.

Why is it that everyone manages to stay within their budget but not the government and they have to charge tax payers more and more.
14:26 January 25, 2013 by henry.bn
Personally I am not impressed by the way this has been implemented but what is wrong with using the price mechanism to ration a limited resource? And there is too much traffic for comfort in the city anyway.
ADD YOUR COMMENT   (YOU MUST LOG IN OR REGISTER TO MAKE A COMMENT)
Business & Money headlines
'Lean hospital a sign of Swedish welfare reform'

'Lean hospital a sign of Swedish welfare reform'

A Stockholm hospital saved from closure by private health care providers has been hailed by the Economist as one of modern's Sweden public-private success stories. READ () »

H&M mulls production in South America and Africa

H&M mulls production in South America and Africa

Swedish clothing giant H&M is looking into the possibility of sourcing its production to South America, Central America, and even Africa, chief executive Karl-Johan Persson said on Monday. READ () »

Nord Stream plans new gas pipelines

Nord Stream plans new gas pipelines

Gas pipeline firm Nord Stream will hold an information meeting on the Baltic island of Gotland on Monday to introduce a proposal to extend its controversial gas pipeline project. READ () »

'Sweden next in line for housing market crash'

'Sweden next in line for housing market crash'

Sweden tops a list of countries that risk suffering a housing market crash, Germany's Commerzbank has warned, citing the slackening off of Swedish property prices as a harbinger of a potential downswing. READ () »

Solna voted best place to live in Sweden

Solna voted best place to live in Sweden

Solna, a suburb just north of Stockholm, is the best place to live in Sweden, according to a new ranking published on Friday by Swedish news magazine Fokus. READ () »

Ikea founder rated fifth richest in the world

Ikea founder rated fifth richest in the world

Ingrad Kamprad, the founder of Swedish furniture giant Ikea, finished fifth on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index published on Friday, with an estimated fortune of $55.6 billion. READ () »

LinkedIn profile lands Swede with hefty tax bill

LinkedIn profile lands Swede with hefty tax bill

A Swedish man is facing a five-million kronor ($750,000) add-on to his tax bill after the authorities took a proper look at his account on the professional networking site LinkedIn. READ () »

India in no rush to open first Ikea store

India in no rush to open first Ikea store

The first Ikea store to open in India may not be ready for years, with the India head of the Swedish furniture giant prepared to wait until the the perfect location is found for the first of the 25 planned stores. READ () »

H&M CEO to Bangladesh: raise minimum wages

H&M CEO to Bangladesh: raise minimum wages

H&M CEO Karl-Johan Persson has urged Bangladesh to raise its minimum wage, adding the Swedish fashion giant is "willing to pay more" in the wake of a garment industry disaster which killed more than 1,100 people. READ () »

Pensioners to recruit ageing Swedish rockers

Pensioners to recruit ageing Swedish rockers

The Swedish Pensioners Association wants to cast off its "stuffy" image at the Sweden Rock festival, in a recruitment bid to set up a rock music subgroup of new members. READ () »

More Business & Money

Find a new job in Sweden now
20/05 Active Directory and Exchange Technician to Skanska IT Nordic
Solna
20/05 Application Engineer
Net Entertainment NE AB
Stockholm
20/05 Application Engineer
Net Entertainment
Stockholm
20/05 Area Sales Manager
Sverige
20/05 Business Development Manager
Hays
Stockh, STHM
20/05 Certification Project Manager
Net Entertainment
Stockholm
20/05 Enterprise Risk Manager
Net Entertainment NE AB
Stockholm
20/05 Global Senior Buyer
Valueone AB
Stockholm
20/05 Group Risk Manager
Humancapital
stockholm, STHM
20/05 GSI Account Director
Sverige

ALL JOBS »


 
Latest Business & Money news from Germany
Therapy in English
Expat counsellor & talk therapist offers counselling for stress, relationship issues, sexuality, culture adjustment & life coaching. Private & confidential. Stockholm or Skype. Contact me today! 08-559 22 636 or
CLICK HERE
Holiday Luxury Villa in Portugal
Casa Birgitta in Algarve, Portugal. Reduced price in best location. Private estate on white sand beach. All amenities included. Book here today! edward_george1@hotmail.com
The Local's new Marketplace
Find products and services that are specifically focused on English speakers living in Sweden!
FULL DETAILS
Counseling in English
Individuals & Couples - Stockholm Beth Rogerson PhD - Clinical, Marriage & Family Therapist
Click or call 08-5580 1266 now
Trade binary options
Create an account with Banc De Binary, the world’s most reputable binary options firm, and start cashing in today! You can start by practicing with our free $50,000 demo account.
www.bbinary.com