Charging, Tolling & RUC

Need for simpler urban tolling solutions

January 10, 2013

A common assumption, even amongst informed observers, is that there’s but a handful of urban charging schemes in operation around the world and scant prospect of that changing any time soon. Larger city-sized schemes such as Singapore, London and Stockholm come readily to mind but if we take a wider view and also consider urban access control and Low Emission Zones (LEZs) then the picture changes rather radically. There is a notable concentration of such schemes in Europe but worldwide the number is comfort

Q-Free to supply further toll tags to Brazil

January 4, 2013

As part of the award of a frame agreement worth US$12.8 million for the supply of toll tags, Q-Free is to supply tags to the value of US$4.1 million to Centro Gestao Meios de Pagto (CGMP) in Brazil. Tags valued at US$8.4 million have already been supplied under the agreement. Q-Free says its OBU610 is the most advanced universal toll tag of its kind, designed to blend into the interior of any modern vehicle, small enough not obstruct the driver’s view, and yet powerful enough to support all applicable CEN

Washington I-90 tolling could start in 2015

January 2, 2013

A planned Washington Department of Transportation (WSDOT) study could make tolling on interstate-90 bridges over Lake Washington and across Mercer Island all but inevitable. Tolling on the state route 520 floating bridge began about a year ago and transportation officials have been closely monitoring two factors: the routes that drivers are now using and the cost to replace the aging 520 bridge. In response, the state legislature last session asked for a new environmental study to review the affects of toll

Sweden's Gothenburg introduces congestion charging

January 2, 2013

Sweden's second city Gothenburg will is to introduce a road toll for all motorists entering or leaving the city, similar to one already in place in the capital Stockholm. The system, aimed at financing infrastructure investments, reducing greenhouse gases and cutting traffic in Gothenburg's city centre by around 15 percent, will include some forty toll stations around the city. According to Eva Rosman of the Swedish Transport Agency, the system introduced in Stockholm in 2007 has led to a 15-18 percent redu

Q-Free expands technology offering with acquisition of TCS

January 2, 2013

Norwegian-headquartered tolling specialist Q-Free is to acquire 100 per cent of the shares of TCS International (TCS). Established more than ten years ago, TCS has fifteen employees, with offices in Boston, US, and a subsidiary in Toronto, Canada. The company provides advanced transportation management systems (ATMS), specialising in intelligent parking guidance and management systems. TCS offers consulting solutions and systems design for a wide range of clients including cities, transportation organisati

Road user charging potential solution to transportation problems

December 14, 2012

A number of new and highly significant open road tolling schemes have just been launched or are soon to ‘go live’. Systems of road user charging are flexing their muscles as the means to solve politically sensitive transportation problems, reports Jon Masters. Gothenburg, January 2013, will be the time and place for the launch of the next city congestion charging scheme in Europe. In a separate development, Los Angeles County’s tolled Metro ExpressLanes began operating in November 2012 – the latest in a ser

Challenges and opportunities in smart parking

December 13, 2012

A new report from ITS America, Smart Parking and the Connected Consumer, looks at the size of the parking industry and the smart parking opportunities for facility operators and municipalities. The parking industry, defined as parking facility management, billing and collection, enforcement, and other ancillary services, is a US$24-25 billion dollar industry. The commercial parking lots and garages industry includes about 3,000 companies with combined annual revenue of more than US$8 billion. The parking cu

Transcore challenges perceptions, targets broader markets

December 13, 2012

In August this year, Tracy Marks took over the presidency of TransCore, succeeding John Simler, who has moved on to other roles within parent company Roper Industries. A 19-year veteran of the company, Marks describes himself as having been groomed for the job. Previously responsible for TransCore’s Southern region in the US, he also took on a series of roles, including the top job at United Toll Systems, as part of moves which were carefully choreographed to prepare him for where he is now. The appointmen

Video surveillance upgrade for M6 toll motorway

December 11, 2012

Nine years after its opening, the 27-mile M6 toll motorway in the UK has had its video surveillance system upgraded in order to increase recording capacity and comply with changing data security requirements. The motorway bypasses the M6, one of the most congested pieces of road in Europe, which travels through Birmingham. Systems maintenance manager for operators Midland Expressway Limited (MEL), Paul Perry, explained why they decided to upgrade their system: “The existing Wavestore recording system has d

Open Roads collaborates with Virginia DOT on the 495 Express Lanes project

December 11, 2012

Opened on 17 November, the fourteen-mile corridor of new high occupancy toll (HOT) lanes in Northern Virginia from the Springfield Interchange to just north of the Dulles Toll Road on the Virginia side of the Capital Beltway provides drivers with a faster, more predictable trip on the Capital Beltway. The 495 Express Lanes project supported more than 16,000 jobs and generated nearly US$3.5 billion of economic impact state-wide. Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) provider Open Roads Consulting (Open R