HELSINKI (AFP) — Helsinki is considering adopting a road toll aimed at reducing pollution and congestion in the Finnish capital, an official at the Transport Ministry said Thursday.
Transport Minister Anu Vehvilaeinen will on Friday announce the creation of a committee made up of city and government officials charged with drawing up a report on the pros and cons of such a congestion charge, a ministry official told AFP.
An overwhelming majority of Helsinki's municipal council voted at the end of January in favour of introducing a road toll in the city in 2011, among other things to help finance a massive extension of its metro system.
A number of other cities have introduced similar toll schemes, including Stockholm, London, Rome and Singapore.
Some 565,000 people live in the Finnish capital, but 1.3 million are served by the Helsinki regional transport system.
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