Swedish motorists pay to keep the Greens happy

STOCKHOLM - On an overcast winter morning, traffic heading into Stockholm on the main route from the north is heavy, but it is moving - unlike the rush-hour gridlock typical in some metropolitan centres.

Yet the capital of Sweden, a country known for its vast, unspoiled natural vistas and clean air, will soon have the world's most extensive system of traffic congestion charges.

A test run costing 3.8 billion crowns ($720 million) started yesterday and will last until July. Stockholmers will vote in September on whether to make it permanent.

Cameras on gantries have sprung up to record the licence numbers of vehicles, whose owners have to pay when they enter and leave the zone.

Most Swedes take pride in their country's environmentalist credentials, but this time politicians may be out of touch with public opinion in their efforts to impose a tax on traffic.

The charge is part of a political deal to secure the support of the Green Party, the smallest group represented in Parliament, for Prime Minister Goran Persson's Social Democrat minority Government.

It is being launched despite the fact that Persson's fellow Social Democrats on Stockholm city council pledged not to introduce such a scheme when they fought and won local elections in 2002.

The Greens insist the charge is needed because of the growing volume of traffic. "The alternative is to sit in traffic jams for the next 10 years," said Claes Roxbergh, a Green Party MP and chairman of its traffic committee.

Social Democrat Mayor Annika Billstrom has also thrown her weight behind the scheme, hammering home the message that traffic jams cost society between 6 billion and 8 billion crowns a year.

"This is paid by you and me as consumers in shape of higher prices for things like goods and food," she said.

The charge will be a maximum 60 crowns a day, slightly less than London, the only other European capital with similar fees, which charges £8 a day.

While Stockholm's traffic problems are a far cry from those of bigger cities such as Moscow or London, opinion polls show most Stockholmers agree that the Greens have a point.

However, polls also show they are less convinced that congestion charges are the solution. "I think it is crazy to spend so much money on something that just won't pay off," said Stockholm resident Eva Jeckert.

Christmas parties in the city have resounded to heated arguments about the charge, fuelled by a few glasses of traditional mulled wine.

A recent opinion poll showed that nearly 60 per cent of those questioned opposed the charge while about 30 per cent were in favour.

The Swedish Automobile Association says it receives calls and letters every day about the new tolls from angry and distressed Stockholmers.

"People just feel completely run over," said Maria Spetz, the association's chief executive.

Newspapers have set up "toll ombudsmen" to address readers' concerns about the charges and one has appealed for suggestions on how best to avoid the tolls. One website has a humorous but illegal solution, offering stickers shaped like number plates bearing the registration of Green Party leader Peter Eriksson's car.

Despite the criticism and the opinion polls, advocates of the charge may yet win the day. Many inner city dwellers do not drive, partly because of the lack of parking spaces, instead using public transport which is being beefed up.

The experience of London, set to double the area covered by its charging system next year, also indicates that a defeat for the Stockholm scheme may be far from certain.

Opposition to the charges was widespread in the British capital before their introduction, but three years later polls show Londoners have warmed to the system.


First day 

* Traffic in inner-city Stockholm fell by 16 per cent during the morning hours compared with the day before.
* Official data showed 69,600 vehicles entered the congestion charging zone, down from 83,000 on Tuesday.
* The test period involves a maximum charge of 60 crowns ($11.12) a day.
* In London, the only other European capital with a congestion charge, traffic volume has been reduced by 18 per cent.
* London motorists have to pay £8 ($20.44) a day.

- REUTERS