NEXCO East Japan announced on September 7 the traffic situation one month after the start of the ETC time zone toll social experiment on the Tokyo Bay Aqualine uplink (Kisarazu to Kawasaki).
In order to reduce congestion on the Tokyo Bay Aqualine, the company, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, and Chiba Prefecture will offer discounted or increased ETC fares during three time zones on weekends and holidays, from July 22 to March 31, 2024.
The original toll of 1,960 yen for a standard car will now be 800 yen from midnight to 1 pm, 1,200 yen from 1 pm to 8 pm, and 600 yen from 8 pm to midnight on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays. Weekday tolls will remain at the current rate of 800 yen.
According to NEXCO East Japan et al., one month after the start of the service, traffic tends to decrease from 13:00 to 20:00 on both Saturday and Sunday, and is dispersed to the hours before and after the service.
Although daily traffic volume has increased from an average of 28,900 vehicles before the experiment to an average of 29,800 vehicles in the current version, the time required to pass through the Kisarazu JCT – Kawasaki Ukishima JCT has been reduced by half from a maximum of 39 minutes before the experiment to a maximum of 21 minutes in the current version.
The reduction in travel speed on the uplink route between 13:00 and 20:00 improved, and the maximum daily congestion distance decreased from an average of 12.4 km before the experiment to an average of 10 km.
In addition, the results also showed an improvement in travel speed reduction on the open road around the Kisarazu Kanada Interchange between 13:00 and 20:00, and a decrease in maximum traffic jam length at intersections around the Kisarazu Kanada Interchange, where large commercial facilities and outlets are concentrated.
© Source travel watch