On August 24, September 7, and September 28 the Federal Highway Administration hosted a webinar series on road pricing and public acceptance.  The objective of this three-session  mini-course was to provide information and tools to transportation professionals to help them gain an understanding of public acceptance issues for congestion pricing, and strategies to help them address these issues.
 
The material presented in the webinar included an overview of congestion pricing concepts and the associated public acceptance issues, followed by an interactive discussion on the experiences of various metropolitan areas, including the Twin Cities, New York City, and Seattle.  In addition, there were opportunities to brainstorm and discuss specific ideas and issues facing the areas represented by course participants.
 
The Sessions were as follows:
Session 1: Gaining Public Acceptance – An Introduction to Road Pricing (August 24, 2010)

Session 2: Seeking Approval- Lessons from PLANYC 2030 Congestion Pricing (September 7, 2010)

Session 3: Integration with the Planning Process and Outreach Strategies for Project Deployment (September 28, 2010)
 
Session 3 highlights included:
•    Inclusion of transit increases the chances of public acceptance of road pricing initiatives.
•    Rt. 520 in Washington State will be tolled but have no toll booths (vehicles will be identified via transponders or license plates).
•    In addition to congestion relief, the public wants to  see physical improvements (e.g. highway widening, transit service) from road pricing.
•    Lower income motorists  tend to use arterials vs. interstates

For more information on all three sessions, see http://blog.lib.umn.edu/slpp/regionalities/2010/08/road_pricing_public_acceptance.php