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Tokyo expressway to have variable tolls during 2020 Olympics

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The other possible side effect is that you are diverting expressway traffic towards the local roads and make transportation a nightmare.

Japan already has the most expensive tolls I have ever seen. An extra ¥1,000 is not cheap.

12 ( +12 / -0 )

They are planning to push 30% of the traffic onto the local roads during peak hours? The local roads are already gridlocked during the peak hours, as are the highways. This is nothing more than a cash grab. Most people who use the highways in private cars are travelling to and from work. They have no option than to use the highways or risk spending countless hours in gridlocked local roads. It's just another way to screw more money out of the residents of Tokyo to compensate for the huge money pit the Tokyo Olympics has become.

It's interesting how they state it only applies to private cars. Many companies use regular vehicles for staff transport. How will it be determined if it is a private car or company car? It seems like another half baked idea coming out of Kasumigaseki. It wouldn't take much imagination to put a company sticker or magnetic sign on your car to dodge the ¥1,000 levy either. There is also likely to be many athletes and spectators who will use rental cars. Will they also have to pay the levy? Just a cash grab!

11 ( +13 / -2 )

I know, let's make it as complicated as possible....

10 ( +10 / -0 )

There are no good alternatives. Leading traffic to other roads will only increase more chaos and probably cause traffic accidents. Perhaps they should've thought of that before they decided to get the Olympics.

6 ( +7 / -1 )

6am to 10pm is pretty much the whole day. Why not half train fares instead?

6 ( +6 / -0 )

all for a worthless 2 week sporting event nobody will remember the day after its over

5 ( +5 / -0 )

@ englisc aspyrgend

This not our duty to find solution.

What JJ & marcelito mentioned are common thinking, nothing wrong.

Yes, we are paying our valuable tax to let Govt. to find the best solution for us, and this the job for them.

2020 Olympic not a sudden event for Govt. of Japan, wonder how they spend time to find the Metropolitan Expressway during the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games during last few years???

4 ( +5 / -1 )

I’m sure that after the Olympics are finished, Tokyo city officials will conveniently “forget“ to return inflated prices back to the pre-Olympics price.

Surprise! New tax!

4 ( +4 / -0 )

although the planned temporary changes could face opposition as they affect a large number of people for weeks.

They should build a road that leads to a town called 'F.Off', because it seems that's where they want everyone to go for a few weeks.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Brilliant plan - push the congestion onto the local side streets ,so those locals trying to go about their daily business will be even more inconvenienced - and not to mention putting cyclists in additional danger.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Let's organise a protest at olympic corruption and get everyone to drive round the expressway for hours, causing olympic "VIP"s (i.e. crooks) to get stuck in their limousines. That will teach them.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

it believes the travel time can be halved with the help of companies introducing telework and shifting work hours, and reduced to 20 minutes with the extra toll

Ha ha! The oyajis in the companies require your presence on your chair at your desk, telework and flextime are relatively rare here, and it takes just one tailgating/ road-rage accident to shut down the main highways for 30-40 minutes, and you can expect more with these tolls, taxes and limits affecting work.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

@englisc

Should I become an elected official then ask me for solutions. Right now I’m a generally concerned citizen pointing out on obvious side effect that they failed to mention.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

One question; How will the ETC system know if a car is a private car/van/truck or company car/van/truck?

2 ( +2 / -0 )

.

Sure.

That is another way of covering the immense, waste of moneys put into this overblown event , called the Olympics.

.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

"The central and Tokyo governments have agreed"

How come? This is Japan a democratic country not else.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

@A_cross

Tokyo has 35MM people. These few athletes transportation is a drop in an ocean.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

One question; How will the ETC system know if a car is a private car/van/truck or company car/van/truck?

You tell them when you register the ETC.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Who need a car in Tokyo?

The slowest and most expensive mobility way!

Ohhh sorry, Mistress and Mister cannot mix with the plebe!

0 ( +2 / -2 )

JJ & marcelito, while I understand the objections to the suggestion, if not this then what practical and achievable alternative do you offer?

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

This is all BS

To be allowed to host the Olympics, Tokyo is required to provide "dedicated" expressway lanes for Olympic athletes and officials. Most of the Tokyo expressway system was built in a hurry for the 1964 Olympics, and was at best a 2-lane system. For safety reasons, many expressway junctions were later made into single-lane traffic, so to comply with IOC requirements in theory the entire expressway system needs to be closed to non-Olympic traffic. That's where the idea of National Holidays on Opening and Closing Ceremony days came from. The suggestion of "variable pricing" now implies two things:

the IOC has not accepted extra National Holidays as good enough and

as an alternative, we can make the ETC system detect various categories of vehicles. The report describes Olympic and non-Olympic traffic. If the IOC agrees to consider this, look out for a three-category system: Olympic, non-Olympic Premium and non-Olympic regular traffic, with perhaps a ¥10,000 toll for the Premium category and further access restrictions on the cheaper ¥1,000 toll non-Olympic regular traffic.

Whatever happens, the result will of course be more traffic on non-expressway roads, and everyone is hoping that, as in London, drivers will stay at home instead.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

@Desillusioned.

Based on your comment it looks like you are part of the mere 10% private cars user that creates the permanent traffic jam in Tokyo and complain.

While the 90% manage long commuting time and traffic congestion thanks you.

Not mentioning global warming because this must be to complicated to understand.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

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