Lille launches the Positive Toll to earn money

In Lille, a new type of charge for car use is to be introduced. Called "positive toll" or "eco-bonus", the measure allows residents of certain areas to earn money by not using their car.

FACTS

• The ecobonus or "positive toll" will officially arrive in Lille in 2023.

• The idea is simple: earn money every time you don't drive your car on certain roads during rush hour.

• From March to May 2023, Lille will launch a registration campaign, where volunteers who want to live without a car will be chosen.

• Then 5,000 of them will sign up for the first nine-month programme in the summer of 2023.

• Their registration will then be recorded and they will receive money as a reward for not driving, with the sums of money depending on the journeys avoided:

  • €2 per journey avoided, €4 per day, and up to a maximum of €80 per month.

  • Valid only for the A1 (Paris-Lille) and A23 (Valenciennes-Paris).

  • Other routes will be included in the scheme at a later date.

• The measure is based on an automatic number plate reading system.

• The three-year plan is estimated at nine million euros.

CHALLENGES

• To be RGPD compliant: as the measure is based on an automatic number plate reading system, it has long been against the protection of personal data, which prevented the recording of these numbers without the drivers' permission.

• Reducing traffic jams, nuisances and pollution: Lille is the first French city to implement this measure. The MEL (Métropole Européenne Lille) expects traffic on the A1 to be reduced by 750 vehicles from the current 12,000 during the morning rush hour.

• Encouraging other cities to launch this initiative: If this measure has relevant results, other communities could launch this initiative. This is what the "pros" of the ecobonus hope for, even if the project has its detractors.

MARKET PERSPECTIVE

• This "eco-bonus" was introduced as an "anti-congestion" solution to reduce traffic jams on the A1 and A23, especially in the morning and evening. This measure was inspired by a policy implemented in Rotterdam in 2015.

• Another measure introduced by the government is carpooling. The Ministers of Ecological Transition and Transport are promising 100 euros to drivers who take up this practice and 100 million euros to communities that develop it.