Skip to main content

Tolling expected to be fastest growing application of ALPR, says report

According to global information company, the growing adoption of automatic license plate recognition (ALPR) technology is having an adverse impact on the vehicle entrance control industry, specifically the vehicle barrier and off-street parking systems markets, according to IHS. The presence of ALPR technology is increasing the most for toll ways and off-street parking garages, which is negatively impacting the growth of vehicle barriers, the research firm reports. In ALPR mature markets such as the Amer
February 12, 2014 Read time: 3 mins
According to global information company, the growing adoption of automatic license plate recognition (ALPR) technology is having an adverse impact on the vehicle entrance control industry, specifically the vehicle barrier and off-street parking systems markets, according to IHS.

The presence of ALPR technology is increasing the most for toll ways and off-street parking garages, which is negatively impacting the growth of vehicle barriers, the research firm reports. In ALPR mature markets such as the Americas where the adoption of the technology is prevalent, highway/toll barrier revenues are projected to decline by 16.1 per cent from 2013 to 2017.

ALPR systems work by using cameras with optical recognition capabilities to identify vehicles and grant access while minimising congestion. Less congestion allows systems to operate at a higher profitability thus increasing the system’s ROI in comparison to traditional barrier solutions.

The most popular use of ALPR systems is in tolling which allows cars to pass freely while penalising unpermitted vehicles through their license plate registration. IHS estimated the global tolling industry to be worth US$3 billion in 2013 and projects tolling to be the fastest growing ALPR application in the world. The growing trend of privatisation within the tolling sector, along with the lack of government highway financing in mature markets such as Western Europe and the United States, has increased the popularity of ALPR technology in order to optimise profitability.

A less developed trend is the use of ALPR technology in off-street parking systems. ALPR allows for ticketless off-street parking systems that can offer subscription or long-term parking options. These cameras can not only increase the effectiveness of parking revenue by reducing fraud and allowing for faster ticketless entry, but the cameras can also be integrated into 24-hour security systems which increases their value. IHS projects parking to be the third fastest growing application for ALPR from 2012 to 2017 with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.4 per cent.

The main barrier for the ALPR technology is the price. The image quality of ALPR cameras is crucial for vehicle entrance control revenue systems because any motion blur could result in revenue loss. This requires investment in both ALPR hardware and software which can be costly. IHS predicts the highway/toll barrier market to be the most significantly impacted by the increasing adoption of ALPR technology in the vehicle entrance control market.

The impact on the off-street parking sector is currently minimal; however as more parking garages look to adopt ALPR this will ultimately result in less requirements for traditional parking hardware. This could be problematic for suppliers that do not invest in ALPR technology, says IHS.

Related Content

  • 'Conservatism hampering ITS technical evolution'
    November 13, 2012
    Nick Lanigan, managing director of Clearview Traffic, considers the current outlook in the ITS sector from an SME's perspective. Interview with Jason Barnes. When times are hard, businesses can invest or cut. Either way, they need guidance from customers – governments – on where best to concentrate their efforts. Prolonged economic slowdown is currently an issue. A short recession, however sharp, would have left many industry players able to ride the bow-wave of governments’ multi-year spending on strategic
  • Global automotive park assist systems market 2014-2018
    May 2, 2014
    Research and Markets’ latest report, Global Automotive Park Assist Systems Market 2014-2018, forecasts the global automotive park assist systems market to grow at a CAGR of 6.53 per cent over the period 2013-2018. One of the key factors contributing to this market growth is the increasing demand for various advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). The global automotive park assist systems market has also been witnessing the increasing adoption of camera-based systems. However, the recent economic slowdown
  • Electronic toll collection delivers efficient traffic regulation
    February 3, 2012
    Electronic tolling systems have been in use for decades now. Worldwide, steadily more and more tolling systems are being set into operation, providing efficient means for traffic regulation and financing of infrastructure. But despite this maturity enforcement is still not being given the consideration it deserves. Q-Free's Steinar Furan writes
  • Machine vision offers new solutions to old problems
    October 28, 2014
    The transportation sector is set to benefit from a far wider range of machine vision technology. While machine vision techniques have been applied to traffic management applications for some years, in some areas there can still be a shortage of knowledge about what the technology can offer transportation professionals. The image processing and interpretation functions of machine vision enables control room staff to be immediately alerted to occurrences requiring attention which, in turn, enables each person