Hokkaido University Hokkaido University Arshad Baharudin Seiichi Kagaya
1. Background and Objective
In Sapporo, annual snowfall often exceeds 5 meters. Citizens have identified snow removal as their main civic concern for the past several decades, and their overall satisfaction with it is low despite the large financial resources the city spends on it (Some 2% of the city's total annual budget), as shown in Tabl 1 -e 1. Budget constraints prevent the city from increasing expenditures snow removal. on Consequently, more efficient and effective removal is required if the city is to satisfy the demands of its citizens However, without financial relief, efficiency can only go so far. Both local tax revenue and central government funding are expected to shrink, despite growing demands for various social services and overall growth in the city's fiscal obligations. In the three decades from 1965, the population more than doubled from 820,000 to 1,750,000. Vehicle ownership jumped from 830,000 vehicles in 1995 to 940,000 vehicles in 2000 and continues to grow. It is in the last statement where we believe a possible solution can be found. recent years,     researchers have become In increasingly interested in the effects of introducing different road pricing measures on transportation networks. However, examples of implemented urban road pricing projects are rare. Examples of road pricing as a means of collecting revenue for winter road maintenance is non-existent. Nevertheless, it is to investigate this possibility that drives us to do this research. It is our observation that executing a new road pricing project is politically unviable other than in certain extraordinary (London, circumstances Singapore). Sapporo, we believe, is an unusual case. Our objective is to test the hypothesis that a road pricing system can be one of the options implemented in Sapporo as a means of revenue for winter road maintenance.

2. Scenario Creation
2.1 Cordon Toll Scheme (Scenario A)
Road user charging developments can be categorized into:- - The corridor - A charged stretch of road that provides a means of transport from one location to another, such as a toll road. The main objective: revenue to pay for the road. The highways connecting Sapporo to the rest of Japan are partially financed in this manner. : The cordon scheme - Charging for driving in an area with a closely integrated road system. The objectives are to improve traffic conditions and to generate revenues. The main focus of the analysis is here. The question then is how is an area specified and chosen for charging? How is it operated and how is it run? To find answers, several cities where road pricing projects had been carried out were researched and reviewed. These case studies included London's congestion charging system (CCS), Singapore's electronic road pricing (ERP), Oslo's toll road system and Edinburgh's failed road pricing project. Particular interest was focused on mass transit systems in situ and how they were harmonized with the road pricing charging project. The Underground system in London runs on a zonal payment system, as displayed in Figure 1. It is clear that the current congestion charging area and its western extension were designed in part to correspond with the area designated as Zone 1 within London Underground. The idea is to create a pricing synergy between the underground and surface systems. l Following this line of reasoning, a similar application can be made for a hypothetical winter road charging system for Sapporo, referring to Odori Station as the point of origin, from where zones can be demarcated as per the current subway charges.
2.2
Winter
(Scenario B)
Mileage Charging Scheme A less technical solution is a mileage pricing scheme that charges the driver for the distance driven during the winter. Here, vehicle owners pay a one-off fee per year based on the distance traveled from December to April. Vehicle odometers are checked by the end of November and reviewed in April at gas stations and land transport offices and owners pay variable rates per unit km depending on package. The scheme would cover Sapporo city and ideally extend throughout Hokkaido The major stumbling block is of course acceptability to citizens. To analyze this, a survey was undertaken to view public response to the road pricing scenarios
3. Survey Preparations and Methodology
In order to prepare for a proper survey a pre-survey was conducted in November, in order to test out variables and gain feedback for the main event. From here, the variables for the survey proper can be redefined and an idea of the requirements of the surveyed residents can be ascertained. It was suggested that a concrete benefit such as a 'residential driveway snow clearance' be offered. With the data and models derived from the survey the positioning and feasibility of the snow charging system could then be clarified.
1508 printed copies of the survey via means of mailbox posting (1350 copies) and direct handouts (158 copies) beginning from 24/12 until 27/12 were distributed with a deadline date of 5/1 though responses were received right up to February. The survey was Fig. 4 - Survey Locations Five main locations throughout Sapporo were chosen as mapped in Figure 4; Higashi Naebo, Chuo-ku (including residences within the cordons) and Teine. They are of varying locations and directions to the city centre. In particular, car owning households were targeted. Other locations included Toyohira and Kita- ku for the direct handout venues and these targeted pedestrians. This was in order to make it possible to create a comparative balance of results.
The survey was difficult to answer resulting in a low response rate. On the other hand, the quality of the responses was generally quite good. That the majority of the survey targeted household mailboxes did not help. This did mean a relatively large and satisfactory response from car users though. extremely User feedback was polarized. Respondents seem to generally love or hate the idea and there was also much curiosity about certain aspects of the road pricing system that were not explained fully, due to time and space constraints.
The above Table 4 shows the basic demographic breakdown of the respondents at a glance. The statistical analysis software SPSS was used to analyze the data. Scalar variables from the survey were converted to categorical variables in order obtain statistical bar charts as presented below:
4. Survey Review and Analysis
The above Figure 5 shows the monthly income breakdown of the respondents. From this it is clear that we managed to capture a uniform range of household incomes. An analysis of location with respect to mode (Figure 6) reaffirms the preconception of some areas of only city centre. The frequency of commuters against their WTP (figure 8a and 8b) reveals interesting tendencies. The graphs show those who only occasionally come to the city center are even less likely to travel should there be a road pricing scheme. This would have ramifications towards commercial activities within the city-centre as these particular groups likely have alternate forms of transport or destinations. Table 5 is a selection of respondent groups and their Although not statistically relevant mean WTP. conclusive (due to data not being representative and evidence of respondent bias), from here certain groups may pay more than others. This may mean that these groups value winter road maintenance highly i.e. residents of East Naebo or, aren't affected i.e. pedestrians.
Unfortunately, 2 tailed t-tests assuming unequal variances proved negative in attempting to confirm the above hypotheses.
5. Conclusions and Future Direction
To best sum up the findings of the study, it is best to revert to the titular objective and see how far we can answer our original queries: Is Sapporo ready for a Winter Road Pricing system? Not in the near future. Time frame depends on complexity of the system and the level of public awareness and support. Is there Public support? From the comments obtained, somewhat mixed. Highly Vocal opponents of the system would be expected. Awareness needs to be heightened for those who may feel that they are unaffected. How much are the citizens willing to pay for such a 'service'? Perhaps what is more significant is that the large majority of people would actually pay a certain amount, including drivers, albeit in the lowest band range of values. How much revenue can be generated? Purely estimating from the sample data (130 drivers), paying 2000+ yen/week/user results in a turnover of between 0.8 – 1.5 billion yen/year minus operative costs depending on the scope of exercise. This by itself will not cover road maintenance costs but is still a significant contribution. It must be stressed that this research barely scratches the surface of introducing a road pricing system in a culture that is alien to it. More in-depth studies can be conducted on virtually all aspects of the research, for example traffic network analysis of the effects of a cordon toll. However it can be surmised that the majority of residents would pay at least a minimal amount of money towards the operation of a winter road pricing system, and that, in the survey conducted, a cordon toll scheme would be more popular than a mileage scheme.
References:
1- http://www.city.sapporo.jp/kensetsu/yuki Online Sapporo city information website, accessed throughout 9/2005 – 1/2006 2- Transport for London Guide – by the Mayor of London 3- http://www.city.sapporo.jp/st/ Online Sapporo transportation information website, accessed throughout 10/2005 – 1/2006 4- Gridlock – Deloitte and Touche Research 2003 5- The Price of Winter – Roads, Snow and Road Pricing. A Feasability Study on a Winter Snow Charging System in Sapporo, Master's Thesis No. EG- M31