Kapsch's Kjell Arnesson talks about the first multi-lane free-flow tolling project in South Africa
In South Africa, installation is ongoing as part of the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project (GFIP) of the country's first Multi-Lane Free-Flow (MLFF) tolling system.The installation itself is linked to a wider programme of infrastructural improvements. The increased capacity was useful when hosting the 2010
Project history
The GFIP grew out of a SANRAL pilot study eight years ago. A contract for installation and operation of the new MLFF system was awarded in 2009 to ETC Pty Ltd, a joint venture betweenLocal partnership and knowledge was instrumental in gaining the project win, says Kapsch TrafficCom's vice president of business development Kjell Arnesson, who is also a member of the board of ETC Pty Ltd.
"Internationally there are several major players who can provide proven technologies and expertise, that's not the differentiator here," he says. "We were active in the South African ETC [Electronic Toll Collection] market long before the tendering process for the MLFF scheme, so we knew what was required locally. We also have experience in all the areas requested in the tender.
"TMT has a particularly good record of working with local authorities to design, implement and operate road traffic law enforcement systems fully compliant with South African requirements. Our JV was well-prepared for this tender, therefore; we didn't assume our capabilities and suitability from a 'blank page' but from facts. For instance, SANRAL stated pre-tender that it wanted to out-source operations and we also have skills there." South Africa is no stranger to tolling. Nationally, there are some 50 toll plazas and ETC is already well-established alongside cash and credit card payments. SANRAL's ambition is to implement MLFF in the major cities (Johannesburg, Pretoria, Cape Town and Durban) and to continue with ETC elsewhere. However from next year, in order to avoid regional isolation and help improve traffic flows, SANRAL will be encouraging the deployment of ETC lanes in existing toll plazas across the country. SANRAL is making ETC interoperable and is mandating the use of one single tag and one single clearing house nationwide. These SANRAL tags will be open-source and come from multiple manufacturers and suppliers, and the decision will mean that tags from the MLFF schemes can be used right across the country.
CEN-compatible technology
Arnesson describes SANRAL's MLFF specification as demanding in all areas."I'd say it is top of the line when compared with other schemes around the world," he continues. "SANRAL undertook a comprehensive scoping exercise before down-selecting for the system. This included visits to several other countries, including Chile, Australia, the US and others in Europe to look at how to introduce the concept of turnkey operations nationwide. Internationally, this has been accomplished in several different ways. In some countries, road users have to sign up with several different concessionaires. Elsewhere, if a customer signs up with one concessionaire he or she is automatically on the books of partner organisations. But South Africa elected to go for a central repository model by implementing a national clearing house. The implementation and operation of this clearing house are part of our contract scope."
South Africa has had a national ETC standard conforming to CEN 278 (5.8GHz DSRC) for several years. The technology actually being implemented uses components and sub-systems which would be recognised by those familiar with the truck tolling schemes in the Czech Republic and Austria, and national and concession schemes in Australia, New Zealand and Chile.
SANRAL and the GFIP
Established in 1998 and accountable as a state-owned entity to parliament via the Minister of Transport, the South African National Roads Agency Ltd (SANRAL) has undertaken a host of projects since inception. SANRAL is responsible for South Africa's 16,150km network of non-toll roads and toll roads. The current toll road network is funded via toll fees, while the cost of the non-toll network is borne by National Treasury grants.
Gauteng is South Africa's economic heartland, generating just short of 38 per cent of the country's economic activity, and three venues in the region hosted matches during the 2010 World Cup. The GFIP itself is a flagship project. Over its lifecycle, it will inject approximately R29 billion (US$3.97bn/€ 3.13bn) into the South African economy and approximately R13 billion (US$1.7bn/e1.4bn) into the provisional gross geographic product, creating nearly 30,000 direct jobs.
The initiative crosses the Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni and Tshwane metropolitan boundaries and the MLFF project represents the first application of tolling of any kind on the route. Freeways have been widened to at least four lanes in both directions and to six lanes on some sections. The first phase of the project upgraded 185km of the existing freeway network and a further 376km of upgraded and newly constructed freeways is to be implemented. The upgraded and expanded freeway network will significantly reduce traffic congestion and unblock access to economic opportunities and social development projects, according to SANRAL. The network will provide an interconnected freeway system of inner and outer ring roads, incorporating the historically neglected western and southern Gauteng settlements.It is in the enforcement and security elements of the system that overseas influences are most apparent. Arnesson: "In the move to free-flow tolling, SANRAL had to consider what would happen in the South African context following the removal of barriers. Security is always an issue and Chile has a good track record of operating high-tech free-flow systems in a harsh environment; its systems are well-protected and availability levels are comparable to those in Europe, for example." Based on the studies it undertook, SANRAL came up with its own design for the tolling points. It constructed its own gantries and the roadside enclosures for systems. The latter are brick-built, lockable and contain all the power supplies, roadside controllers and trouble-shooting equipment necessary to allow operatives to park their vehicles inside and work in a secure environment. This includes being able to access the gantries from within and Arnesson notes this allows maintenance to go on without the need for lane closures - a prerequisite in the local area during rush hours.
Back office functions
The contract award includes operation of both a national clearing house and a violation processing centre."This is a 'greenfield' site in that we're the first users as well as being the operators," Arnesson says. "It is linked to the new nationally mandated tag and SANRAL has worked for several years with existing private companies and concessionaires, conducting workshops and other initiatives to increase acceptance. At present South Africa has three concessionaires and the remaining toll roads are operated by SANRAL itself, so in total there are four bodies to be integrated.
"The national violation processing centre has also been outsourced to us and use of this by other concessions will be optional going forward. What that means is that the next organisation to propose multi-lane free-flow in South Africa can choose to process violations via an existing set-up or opt to do so by itself. That might seem counter-intuitive but South Africa is looking to finance the bulk of future road improvements through tolling as it needs to focus tax revenues on other parts of the national infrastructure and economy. Some banks insist on concessionaires having control over their own revenues and violations processes, so being able to opt in or out of the national scheme in fact makes better sense."
Charging and enforcement
Tags are the preferred means of charging in the MLFF environment, and this is reflected in the toll fee structure. Automatic number plate recognition is used to charge untagged vehicles. In a developing country this might be seen as a problem, given the levels of unregistered vehicles and illegal vehicles to be found by comparison with other regions of the world.In general this is an issue but the scheme also reflects the reality, according to Arnesson.
"If a vehicle is seen to be driving without paying, then another process will start. We'll check the national vehicle register and other government sources of information which are currently used for traffic violation enforcement. If that fails, then on-road enforcement is the next step." In quantifying the on-road effort, he says that it will not be significantly larger than might be found on truck tolling schemes in Europe. It will be bigger than can be found in some other schemes in Scandinavia and the UK, however.
