Charging, Tolling & RUC

The Kentucky-Indiana Joint Board has unanimously selected Kapsch TrafficCom as the preliminary preferred proposer in the competition to provide an electronic toll system for the bi-state Ohio River Bridges project. The board’s action followed independent staff reviews of technical and financial proposals submitted by the competing firms. Kapsch was one of six interested companies that the board in January deemed qualified to submit proposals for the toll system provider (TSP) contract. The Indiana Fin

Q-Free’s Frank Kjelsli talks to Colin Sowman about why video tolling could be the boost to efficiency and interoperability the industry is seeking. Like it or not, the principal of one person, one tolling account is likely to become a reality: be that in America with the 2016 interoperability deadline or the European EETS requirement. Multi-tag readers are being introduced and alliances are being formed to meet legislative requirements but as the debate continues about which systems and protocols to adopt,

Arno Klamminger and Wolfgang Fleischer from Kapsch’s ETC Business Unit outline a new back office solution which addresses the ongoing changes in the road user charging sector. The rapidly increasing scale of some Road User Charging (RUC) schemes, both current and proposed, presents systems developers and manufacturers with significant opportunities in terms of product sales. However, it also presents them with significant challenges - and size is but one part – as at regional, national and international lev

According to a recent poll by infrastructure group HNTB, 79 per cent of US residents would support "would support the addition of a toll on a non-tolled surface transportation facility if it resulted in a safer, congestion-free and more reliable trip." The poll also found 83 per cent of its respondents would also support tolls on highways that are currently free, which has been a source of contentious debate in Washington. HNTB Toll Services Chairman Jim Ely said the finding bolstered the argument o

As transportation industry experts from around the world gather in Austin, Texas for the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association’s 82nd Annual Meeting and Exhibition, 14-17 September, infrastructure solutions firm HNTB Corporation announces the results of a new America THINKS tolling survey, including the public’s views on tolling in the State. According to the survey, close to three in four (73 per cent) Texans who regularly drive on roads or bridges with tolls are pleased with the value

As the IBTTA’s annual meeting and exhibition heads for Austin, Mitchell Beer, president of Smarter Shift, considers the role of Texas in the development of tolling strategies and technology. The State of Texas has always prided itself on being ‘larger than life’. From the sprawling geography of the state itself with its wide open skies, to its entrepreneurial ‘get-it-done’ attitude, Texas exudes an impatient restlessness that pushes businesses and public agencies to deliver faster, better results. More ofte

Brazil's São Paulo state transport agency Artesp has opened a technology centre that will oversee services provided by highways concessionaires. The information control centre uses IBM's Maximum asset management software and intelligent operations centre technology, implemented by local IT integrator and consulting firm Magna Systems. The centre will gather and integrate traffic volume and toll data control centres along 30 highways operated by 19 licensed companies as well as information captured by

Q-Free Elcom is to supply advanced transportation management systems (ATMS), including electrical installations and installation of LED light systems for a bridge over the River Danube in Eastern Europe. The contract, valued at US$1.3 million, was awarded by construction company Ratko Mitrović Niskogradnja in Belgrade and will commence immediately. “This new contract for Q-Free Elcom is a confirmation of the attractiveness of our ATMS portfolio,” comments Q-Free CEO Thomas Falck.

A petition with almost 45,000 signatures will be submitted to the European Parliament on 2 September by the Royal Dutch Touring Club (ANWB) in protest at a proposed German road toll that will fall primarily on foreign drivers. The Dutch Club is urging the European Parliament to get involved and address the question of discrimination against international motorists. The ANWB will be represented by their President, Frits van Bruggen, and the European Parliament will be represented by Dutch MEP, Wim van de

Transportation consultant D’Artgnan Consulting has been awarded major contracts in the US and Australia. In the US, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) has awarded Cambria Solutions (Cambria), in conjunction with D’Artagnan Consulting and CH2M Hill (the Cambria Team) a mileage-based user fee (MBUF) study to provide information and recommendations for the purpose of piloting a MBUF concept in the state. D’Artagnan Consulting, which has experience in planning as well as implementing M