Skip to main content

Drastic action needed to boost EU-wide user-friendly road toll services, says Transport Committee

To improve interoperability of road charging systems, the European Commission must focus on better implementation of existing legislation and assess the need for new measures to encourage the development of a EU-wide electronic toll system, according to an own-initiative report adopted in the Transport and Tourism Committee. MEPs say incentives for road operators and toll service providers have not been sufficient and criticise lack of action by Member States to develop EU-wide standards, as set out in a Di
April 24, 2013 Read time: 2 mins
To improve interoperability of road charging systems, the 1690 European Commission must focus on better implementation of existing legislation and assess the need for new measures to encourage the development of a EU-wide electronic toll system, according to an own-initiative report adopted in the Transport and Tourism Committee.

MEPs say incentives for road operators and toll service providers have not been sufficient and criticise lack of action by Member States to develop EU-wide standards, as set out in a Directive on interoperability of electronic toll systems in 2004.

The resolution calls the Commission to provide an overview of existing studies by the end of 2013 for policy options in the medium and long term including the deployment of technologies, such as GPS/GNSS to prevent and reduce congestion caused by physical barriers.

The report urges the take-up of mobile payments, facilitation of pre-payments online, and clear indications of prices in order to enhance user-friendliness and informed customer choices. Transport MEPs reiterated that distance-based tolling systems should be favoured, as they are a fairer, non-discriminatory type compared to the vignette-type system.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Amsterdam Group turn ITS theory into practice
    August 6, 2013
    ASECAP’s Marko Jandrisits discusses the Amsterdam Group’s efforts to bring a sense of order to cooperative ITS deployments. When an issue arises which is deemed to require a technological solution governments and public-sector agencies around the world all too often tread the same sorry path. A decision is made to research and develop said technology to the production-ready stage, the work is done and the technology realised but then the money for deployment runs out and the technology is left on the shelf
  • Continental calls for change in legal requirements for automated driving
    July 8, 2014
    International automotive supplier Continental has called for a market-based adaptation of the legal framework for automated driving, saying its Mobility Study 2013 has shown that motorists worldwide want automated driving on the freeway. “Their needs match up perfectly with the development possibilities in the upcoming years. However, the necessary adjustments to the traffic regulatory framework must not fail to take into account the connection with these market dynamics," said Continental head of resear
  • Eurosmart: nearly one billion contactless smartcards shipped in 2013
    November 18, 2013
    The global desire for solutions which combine convenience and security shows absolutely no sign of stopping, according to Eurosmart, the acknowledged voice of the smart security industry Revealing some dramatic figures at the opening of CARTES 2013 today, Eurosmart estimates that 7.2 billion Smart Secure Devices will be shipped by the end of this year, with that number growing by 7% to more 7.7 billion units in 2014.
  • Focus on people when delays happen, say road users
    November 16, 2016
    UK transport user watchdog Transport Focus has launches it report on road users’ experiences of planned roadworks and unplanned disruption. The report, Incidents and roadworks - A road user perspective, follows the watchdog’s 2015 work on road users’ needs and experiences of the Strategic Road Network. In it, the watchdog recommends planning shorter roadworks, 24/7 working and involving the freight industry more in roadworks planning. It also encourages more work to help release trapped traffic, prev