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

  • July 7, 2015
    ADAS ‘fastest growing sector’ in automotive field
    According to the latest research by RnR Market Research, Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) has been one of the fastest-growing sectors in automotive field and is expected to register a CAGR of 32 per cent during 2014-2019. Currently, developed countries in Europe and America have had nearly eight per cent of new vehicles equipped with ADAS, in contrast to about two per cent in emerging markets. It is predicted that over 25 per cent of new vehicles will carry ADAS by 2019 globally. The Global a
  • January 25, 2012
    Is machine vision the future of enforcement?
    Leading automated enforcement system suppliers talk about how they see machine vision technology affecting the sector in the coming years
  • August 8, 2017
    Research: Traffic sensor market worth US$381.3 million by 2023
    According to the latest research by MarketsandMarkets, the traffic sensor market is expected to grow from US$22 million in 2017 to US$381.3 million by 2023, at a CAGR of 8.94 per cent during 2017-2023. The increasing demand for real-time information systems and increasing urbanisation and population are the major factors that drive the market. The market for radar sensors is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period compared to other types of sensors. Radar sensors are resistant to lig
  • August 19, 2016
    Surge in crime rate and terrorist activities in Europe ‘driving use of policing technologies’
    The Europe policing technologies market is expected to register a 6.0 per cent CAGR from 2016 to 2024, with the revenue set to increase from US$1.4 billion in 2015 to US$2.4 billion by the end of the forecast period, according to a new Transparency Market Research (TMR) report, Policing Technologies Market - Europe Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2016 - 2024. Accounting for a share of 36 per cent in 2015, detection and surveillance technologies emerged as the leading policing