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CIVITAS VANGUARD
Environmental token
Lower parking tariff for low emission cars
Graz introduced a lower parking tariff for low emission cars (including cars like hybrids and electrical but also standard mass produced cars). Owners of such cars can get a token with which they can get the lower tariff at park ticket vending machines. This raises awareness about emissions and motivates people to buy low emission cars.
Objectives / Innovative Aspects
The aim was to develop and implement a new park tariff system, that enabled the differentiation between cars below and above certain emission thresholds.

The expectance was that this will lead to:
  • Higher awareness about emissions of cars
  • Motivation to buy low emission vehicles in the city
  • In the long run an increased number of smaller and/or low emission vehicles in the city centre
  • Reduced emission, noise levels and energy consumption as consequences
The Measure
The measure was introduced within the framework of a necessary tariff increase.

The parking tariff for all ordinary vehicles was raised from EUR 1.00 per hour, to EUR 1.20. The tariff for low emission vehicles ws lowered to EUR 0.80. Owners of low emission cars can register and get a so called "Umweltjeton", an environmental token. Park ticket vending machines are equipped to recognise these tokens and deliver a lower tariff.

The measure is used to raise awareness about emission levels of cars and to promote low emission vehicles.

The thresholds were defined as follows:
  • Petrol powered vehicles have to achieve the Euro IV norm and emit less than 140 g CO2 per kilometre
  • Diesel powered vehicles have to achieve the Euro IV norm and emit less than 130 g CO2 per kilometre - and they have to be equipped with particle filters
  • Gas powered vehicles have to achieve the Euro IV norm and emit less than 140 g C02 per kilometre
Related Measures
show related measures
Implementation Status
The system has been fully implemented. Steps in the implementation were the following:
  • Definition of the threshold: what is a low emission car?
  • Definition of the zone of implementation - in Graz all paid parking zones are included
  • Technological implementation: park vending machines had to be adapted to deliver differentiated prices and to recognise the environmental token
  • Organisational implementation: procedures on how and where to register had to be put in place
  • Marketing: the new system had to be marketed
Results
The driving force for the quick implementation of the project was CIVITAS TRENDSETTER. There are strong doubts if the project would have been realised without the support of this EU-project. Nevertheless the steering group has worked hard to realise this ambitious project within a certain time frame.

Barriers occurred as all potential drivers of low emission vehicles have to register their car at the Parking Department. So drivers have an extra effort to profit from the low tariff.

Currently all car manufactures have different standards to illustrate this criteria. A common standard concerning this issue would help in the future.

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Downloads
Evaluation Report
Contact

Gerhard Ablasser
Download PDF Version:
Last update: 10-03-2010

Measure completed
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