Charging, Tolling & Road Pricing

According to Belgian entrance control company Automatic Systems, the market for automatic licence plate recognition (ALPR) systems is set to reach over US$800 million in 2018. Automatic Systems says its ParkPlus and TollPlus barriers for toll and parking applications are fully compatible with the ALPR technology and its mechanical and electronic components can be seamlessly integrated within the robust barrier housing. Designed for highway toll booths, the TollPlus series of barriers offer a wide rang

A new review by the commissioned by the Australian Federal Government and chaired by University of Melbourne economics professor Ian Harper makes a strong case for what it calls ‘cost-reflective road pricing’. The 313 page review of competition policy in Australia says the advent of new technology presents opportunities to improve the efficiency of road transport in ways that were unattainable two decades ago. Linking road user charges to road construction, maintenance and safety should make road investm

Despite support from the Justice Project South Africa (JPSA) and the Opposition to Urban Tolling Alliance (OUTA), Gauteng’s e-tolls will not be replaced with a fuel levy after the country’s other eight provinces overwhelmingly rejected this idea, saying they will not be made to pay for excellent roads when theirs are poorly maintained. The provinces also rejected a proposal that the national government should take over the funding of improvements to Gauteng highways. Instead of the current user-pay p

Q-Free has further expanded its advanced traffic management systems and road user charging business, with the acquisition of US company Open Roads Consulting. Q-Free says Open Roads Consulting's software solutions will be a valuable addition to its own ATMS solutions in the US and internationally. Established in 2000, Open Roads Consulting has 74 employees and operates mission critical traffic deployments and video based surveillance of critical assets in 30 states in the US. “We are happy to close t

‘The delay of the introduction of free-flow tolls at Dartford River Crossing disappointing as it may present additional costs to industry’ is the message from the Freight Transport Association (FTA). The Association has voiced its concern in response to the announcement by the Highways Agency (HA) that the planned technology to allow motorists to use the crossing without having to stop at barriers and pay is to be delayed by up to four weeks. Originally planned to be in place by the 28 October 2014, th

Established in 2011, Indian technology and infrastructure company Vaaan has been awarded two major projects valued at around US$25 million from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) through its highway operations management agency, Indian Highways Management Company (IHMCL). The company is to deploy electronic toll collection (ETC) on 164 dedicated lanes across 82 public funded toll plazas in a bid to to reduce traffic congestion and commuting time. In addition, in a move to identify which h

New regulations are set to standardise the process of awarding concessions across the European Union. In the wake of several inconsistent judgements at the European Court of Justice, the European Commission has approved new legislation that defines a concession. The basic demarcation from a public contract remains the same in that concessions include the right to exploit the work or services provided instead of payment. However, at the point of signing, the regulations impose an all-inclusive threshold of €