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What Is It?
- Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) is a generally mature technology that allows for electronic payment of highway tolls. Click on the "Benefit-Cost Analysis" menu item at left to view ETC benefit-cost spreadsheets.
- ETC systems take advantage of vehicle-to-roadside communication technologies (traditionally via microwave or infrared communication, more recently via GPS technology) to perform an electronic monetary transaction between a vehicle passing through a toll station and the toll agency. ETC systems require Onboard units (OBU), vehicle detection and classification as well as enforcement technologies.
- Essentially, ETC equipment substitutes for having a person (or coin machine) to manually collect tolls at toll booths. In addition, it allows such transactions to be performed while vehicles travel at (almost) highway cruising speed.
- ETC systems will also soon emerge as the most efficient way to implement congestion pricing. See our Telecommunications Diagram on ETC for more information.
Benefits
- A 2005 study found that Electronic toll collection systems reduce environmentally harmful emissions 16 to 63% at toll plazas.
- Increase in toll lane capacity
- Reduction in motorist waiting time
- Convenience for toll payers
- Fuel savings and a decrease in mobile emissions by reducing or eliminating waiting times
- Reduction in toll collection costs and enhancement of audit control by centralizing user accounts
- Greatly enhances the possibility to implement congestion pricing by breaking technical barriers: non-intrusive toll collection requires much less infrastructure, automatic vehicle counting and classification and automated accounting systems.
- Digital license plate recognition devices can accurately and efficiently identify toll violators.
- ETC systems are emerging as a very cost-effective and efficient manner of implementing traffic surveillance. GPS-based ETC may emerge as a more efficient manner of implementing surveillance for a host of reasons.
Costs
- Installation and maintenance of vehicle-to-roadside communication technologies, Onboard units, vehicle detection and classification as well as enforcement technologies.
- Standardization and technical interoperability of systems impose costs.
- Marketing, stakeholder involvement efforts
Where is it implemented?
Europe
Germany, Italy, Austria, France and Czech Republic
- Austria - Videomaut for motorways and expressways in Austria subject to special tolls - http://www.videomaut.at/
- Austria - go-maut [1] for the national Autobahn network in Austria
- Germany - LKW-MAUT for trucks on Autobahns, Germany
- Italy - TELEPASS on Autostrade motorways in Italy
- France - Télépéage usually branded liber-t on French motorways (run by the Federation of French Motorway Companies)(ASFA).
- Czech Republic – premid for trucks on highways (2007)
United Kingdom and Ireland
- Ireland - Eazy Pass on national toll roads in Ireland
- United Kingdom - DART-tag for the Dartford Crossing
- United Kingdom - London congestion charge in London
- United Kingdom - Fast tag Mersey tunnels: Queensway Tunnel and Kingsway Tunnel
- United Kingdom - M6 Toll tag in the Midlands
- United Kingdom - Severn TAG for the Severn Bridge crossing and Second Severn Crossing
- United Kingdom - Tamar Bridge planned for 2006
Nordic Nations
Rest of Europe
North America
Canada
- Southern Ontario - 407 ETR - http://www.407etr.com/
Mexico
United States
South America
- São Paulo, Brazil - Sem Parar / Via Fácil - http://www.viafacil.com.br/index.php?siter=SP
- Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - Onda Livre for the Rio-Niterói Bridge
- Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - Passe Expresso for the Yellow Line
- Santiago,Chile - Autopista Central
- Santiago,Chile - Autopista Vespucio Sur
- Santiago,Chile - Autopista Vespucio Norte Express
- Santiago,Chile - Costanera Norte
- Free Flow, aka Televía or TAG
Caribbean
Asia
Oceania
Australia
- Brisbane, Queensland - Gateway Motorway
- Brisbane, Queensland - Logan Motorway
- Brisbane, Queensland - North-South Bypass Tunnel or RiverCity Motorway
- Melbourne, Victoria - CityLink - http://www.citylink.com.au/;
- Sydney, New South Wales - Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Harbour Tunnel
- Sydney, New South Wales - Eastern Distributor
- Sydney, New South Wales - M2 Motorway
- Sydney, New South Wales - M4 Motorway, in
- Sydney, New South Wales - M5 Motorway
- Sydney, New South Wales - M7 Motorway
- Sydney, New South Wales - Cross City Tunnel
- Sydney, New South Wales (Under Construction) - Lane Cove Tunnel
- Melbourne Victoria (Under Construction) Eastlink
Author: Dimitri Loukakos, Marika benko, last updated June 2007
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