Ready for road pricing reform? Identifying segments of support in Australia and uncovering (Hidden) attitudes

Abstract

Despite decades of research and broad consensus in the academic literature regarding its efficiency, road pricing reform remains a controversial topic that many policymakers are loath to debate, and the public strongly resists. Nevertheless, as traditional sources of road funding decline and the costs of maintaining road infrastructure continue to rise, some form of reform will be necessary. Using a mixed-methods approach, this paper revisits the foundations of the debate and presents an in-depth analysis of public attitudes towards the need for road funding reform, specifically examining the acceptability of a simple road user charge (cents per kilometre), independent of specific pricing levels or policy design features. We segment respondents into five distinct clusters based on their underlying support for, or resistance to, reform, and further contextualise these segments by exploring their perceptions of a road user charge. Overall, we identify that the time to discuss reform is now, as there is growing recognition that funding change will be required. We provide recommendations on how to navigate these initial discussions, particularly as our analysis reveals potentially hidden ulterior motivations that may ultimately shape how reform proposals are received and, in turn, their viability.