Great Langdale Valley, Cumbria: An Analysis of the viability of road-user charging as a Demand Management Tool for motor-vehicle dependent recreation

Abstract

This research was focused on analysing the potential application of road-user charging to the Transportation Demand Management Strategy for Great Langdale Valley in the Lake District National Park. There were three research objectives: firstly, to investigate the response of motorists to the hypothetical imposition of monetary road-user charges for entry to Great Langdale Valley (Bovaird et al, 1984); secondly, observe the impact of road-user charging on the host community of Great Langdale Valley (Holding, 1998); thirdly, to examine the suitability of the Contingent Valuation Methodology to elicit monetary preferences for road-user charging in a non-laboratory setting.
The research methodology employed to elicit behavioural responses to certain price levels for road use was the Contingent Valuation Method (Mitchell and Carson, 1989). Three stakeholder samples were surveyed: visitor, resident and businessoperator samples. All three were administered with mail-back questionnaires containing hypothetical Contingent Valuation scenarios. Willingness To Pay (WTP)
questions to elicit monetary preferences for road use were posed to the visitor and resident samples, whereas the business operator sample respondents were asked for
their Willingness To Accept (WTA) a compensation payment for the potential impact of the road-user charging scheme on their trade.
The research findings determined that a road-user charge would result in a considerable reduction in the visitor sample's intention to use a private motor-vehicle on the Great Langdale valley road network. The residential population expressed limited support for themselves or visitors being subject to a road-user charge. In addition, the business operator sample demonstrated similar opposition to the road- user charging proposal. In conclusion, road-user charging was not deemed a viable
Transportation Demand Management strategy for Great Langdale Valley due to the socio-economic equity implications involved exceeding any potential road network
efficiency gains.