Urban traffic congestion is recognised as a major problem by most people in world cities. However, the implementation of congestion reducing measures on a wide scale eludes most world cities suffering from traffic congestion, as many oppose the notion of road pricing and despite economists and transportation professionals having advocated its benefits for a number of decades. The effects of road pricing have attracted considerable attention from researchers examining its effects, as it is thought to hold the key in understanding and overcoming some inherent obstacles to implementation. Unfortunately, many of the attempts consider the effects in isolation and with hypothetical, idealised and analytical tools, sometimes loosing sight of the complexities of the problem. This research empirically investigates the effects of road pricing in London, and identifies factors, which may prove to sustain it as a traffic reduction instrument. The results indicate that an integrated approach has to be developed and implemented, based upon the recognition of local perceptions, concerns, aspirations and locally acceptable solutions, if the acceptance of road pricing is to be improved. The key to dealing with the effects of road pricing, is to encourage a concerted effort by various stakeholders developing strategies considering a range of differing initiatives, coordinating and managing them in the realm of the political-economic context in which they exist. / Thesis (M.Art. et Scien. (Town and Regional Planning))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2005.

Urban traffic congestion is recognised as a major problem by most people in world cities. However, the implementation of congestion reducing measures on a wide scale eludes most world cities suffering from traffic congestion, as many oppose the notion of road pricing and despite economists and transportation professionals having advocated its benefits for a number of decades. The effects of road pricing have attracted considerable attention from researchers examining its effects, as it is thought to hold the key in understanding and overcoming some inherent obstacles to implementation. Unfortunately, many of the attempts consider the effects in isolation and with hypothetical, idealised and analytical tools, sometimes loosing sight of the complexities of the problem. This research empirically investigates the effects of road pricing in London, and identifies factors, which may prove to sustain it as a traffic reduction instrument. The results indicate that an integrated approach has to be developed and implemented, based upon the recognition of local perceptions, concerns, aspirations and locally acceptable solutions, if the acceptance of road pricing is to be improved. The key to dealing with the effects of road pricing, is to encourage a concerted effort by various stakeholders developing strategies considering a range of differing initiatives, coordinating and managing them in the realm of the political-economic context in which they exist. / Thesis (M.Art. et Scien. (Town and Regional Planning))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2005.

Les réseaux de transport se sont amplifiés par l’accroissement du nombre des véhicules et des stations ainsi que l’apparition de nouvelles notions essentiellement la multimodalité et l’intermodalité. Ainsi, la tâche de gestion des réseaux de transport collectif est devenue très complexe et difficile pour les régulateurs. Pour faire face à ces difficultés, on note le développement des systèmes d’aide à la décision comme solution efficace de régulation de la circulation. Ils permettent de transmettre en temps réel les informations concernant le trafic sur les réseaux de transport.Notre travail se base sur la conception d’un système de régulation des réseaux de transport multimodal. Il peut se révéler comme un outil primordial pour apporter des solutions efficaces et en temps réel à la problématique de la congestion routière. Il peut communiquer l’information nécessaire à l’usager afin de prendre sa décision de déplacement avec ou sans sa voiture. Le système proposé est une approche hybride entre une modélisation par graphes du réseau et un système multi-agents. Ceci sera appuyé par une approche évolutionniste pour la génération d’une solution de régulation optimale. Ce choix est justifié par le caractère ouvert, distribué et complexe des réseaux de transport multimodal / Transport networks have been amplified by the increasing number of vehicles and stations and the emergence of new concepts essentially multimodal and intermodal. Thus, the task of managing public transport systems has become very complex and difficult for regulators.To cope with these difficulties, there is the development of systems decision support as an effective solution to traffic control. They can transmit real-time traffic information on transport networks. Our work is based on designing a control system of multimodal transport networks. It may be as an essential tool for effective solutions and real-time to the problem of traffic congestion. It can provide the necessary information to the user in making its decision to move with or without his car. The proposed system is a hybrid between a graph modeling the network and a multi-agent system. This will be supported by an evolutionary approach for generating an optimal control solution. This is justified by the open, distributed and complex network of multimodal transport