Charging, Tolling & RUC

The Dartford-Thurrock River Crossing’s proposed free-flow payment system is set to be introduced from next year, UK Roads Minister Stephen Hammond has announced. The technology will provide flexibility for drivers travelling over or under the River Thames while also ensuring a steady traffic flow, reducing congestion. Motorists will be able to pay via telephone, text message, online and through retail outlets, instead of stopping at the crossing’s barriers. "The Dartford Crossing is vital to the local and

The Norwegian Public Road Administration has extended its contract with Q-Free to operate the country’s central tolling system. The contract was due to expire in November 2014, but has been extended for a minimum of 7.5 months. The extension has a minimum value of approximately US$5.6 million. The CSNorway contract was initially signed in 2007 and included the development of the system and conversion of all existing systems into one common central system. Around forty different concessions are running on th

Miami Dade Expressway Authority is procuring a new comprehensive all-electronic toll (AET) system for the 112-Airport Expressway and the 836-Dolphin Expressway with the option to add new equipment at its smaller toll facilities. The request for proposals has been issued and proposals are due by the end of July. The main portion of the work will cover: mainline toll zones and ramp toll zones on the 836-Dolphin Expressway; mainline toll zones on the 112-Airport Expressway; and an optional add-on to the main c

A decision in the dispute between the German government and Toll Collect, the operator of the HGV toll system, over the delayed introduction of the system in Germany is expected to be made by the arbitration court in the first week of October 2013. Experts believe that the German government will waive a part of its damage claims and take over Toll Collect, which is currently owned by Deutsche Telekom (45 per cent), Daimler Financial Services (45 per cent) and Cofiroute (10 per cent).

Intelligent Transport Systems Australia has praised the National Infrastructure Plan presented to the Council of Australian Governments last week. ITS Australia Chief Executive Officer Susan Harris said this Plan recognises some realities that challenge infrastructure management in Australia and it recommends a clear set of actions to force reform in policies and processes. Among the key actions recommended in the National Infrastructure Plan are: Reform of current infrastructure funding methods; Wider appl

The Venus RFID windshield tag developed by Star Systems International has received approval from the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) for use across India’s national highways. Meeting the requirements of India’s Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) Resolution H-25011/4/2011-P&P (Toll) Vol. II, the Venus windshield tag is suitable for use with India’s united electronic toll collection system across all toll plazas along the national highways. “The Venus windshield tag offers Indian

London’s Mayor’s Roads Task Force (RTF) has set out a bold new vision for the future of the city’s roads and streets to ensure the capital can cope with major population growth, support jobs and thousands of new homes, while remaining one of the most attractive, vibrant, accessible and competitive world cities. A range of proposals includes: roofing over arterial roads to create new surface space; changing the way goods and services are delivered, such as shifting HGVs and freight out of peak hours; embraci

The Swedish Transport Administration (Trafikverket) is to continue its contract with Q-Free for the service and maintenance of the congestion charging infrastructure in Stockholm. The three-year contract is valued at approximately US$6 million and commences in November 2013. Congestion charges were introduced in Stockholm in 2006, first as a trial followed by a referendum, then permanently from 2007. A 2011 report published by Elsevier in mid-2011 concludes that during the first five years of operation the

A Bill that will provide the legislative mandate and funding to start to build and implement the first Road Usage Charging Legislation in the USA has been passed by the Oregon State Legislation. The Bill now goes to the Governor who will sign the bill into law. It is now expected that Washington State and several other states will follow in Oregon's pioneering footsteps for reliable and sustainable funding to maintain, upkeep and expend its surface transportation assets.

A new Hong Kong-based RFID hardware provider has emerged to offer UHF RFID solutions for security, access control, electronic tolling and logistics applications. Star Systems International was formed by a group of former employees of Sirit and Federal Signal Technologies with more than forty years of experience in the automatic identification, intelligent transportation and RFID industries. Star Systems International has obtained international distribution rights for products from Star-RFID, a Thailand base