Coûts externes du trafic routier: évaluation en milieu urbain

Pricing of road transport at social marginal cost should make users aware of the damage caused to the environment (external costs). Such an approach, however, requires a preliminary financial estimate of this damage. On the basis of a study carried out at Neuchâtel, this article outlines a comparison of the relative importance assigned by the population to the various forms of road traffic nuisance. After having considered the approaches which allow a value to be placed on these costs, the article presents evaluations of noise (hedonic rent method) and of road accidents (methods based on restitution costs, human capital and relevant case-law).