Soon, zoom past barrier-free toll plazas on highways
Soon, zoom past barrier-free toll plazas on highways
NEW DELHI: With the introduction of barrier-free toll collection based on the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), highway users will be allowed to cruise through toll gates at high speed — up to 100 kmph — without inconvenience, according to officials of the road transport and highways ministry.
Initially one or two lanes will be available at fee plazas for the vehicles which opt for the soon-to-be-launched highway user fee collection arrangement, said a senior official involved in the operationalisation of the new system. “The government is hopeful that it will help in plugging the leakages and checking toll defaulters. The lanes will be equipped with advance reading, identification and enforcement equipment so that only the valid vehicles pass through the gates,” the official said.
Under the GNSS-based collection system, toll is charged based on the distance travelled on the highways as against the existing method — one has to shell out a fixed amount even if the user travels a part of the toll road. The satellite-based system tracks vehicle’s movement and calculates charges with the help of an On Board Unit embedded in the vehicles.
GNSS-based tolling is proposed, in the first phase, to be implemented for the commercial vehicles, and private vehicles will be included subsequently. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) recently invited global tender from innovative and qualified companies to develop and implement GNSS-based toll collection. As per the notification, the interested companies can apprise the Indian Highways Management Company Limited, a firm promoted by NHAI, which has invited the tender.
The selected agency will develop a layout — including advance signages, markings, lighting, and placement of equipment — of dedicated GNSS lanes within existing plazas to facilitate the GNSS-enabled vehicles without coming in conflict with the slow-moving Radio Frequency Identification-based vehicles passing through the corridors. The high-performance equipment will read vehicle registration number reading through Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras, indentify vehicle — axle and type — estimate weight, and charge toll fee, officials said.
In the beginning, a hybrid model, including both RFID-based FASTag and GNSS-enabled toll collection, will operate simultaneously until the proposed arrangement is adopted smoothly. All lanes at fee plazas will eventually be converted to GNSS lanes, the officials said.
The NHAI is entrusted with maintenance and management of national highways of about 70,000 km length, out of the total network of 150,000 km.
Moreover, NHAI is mandated to collect user fees on these highways in accordance with the National Highway Fee (Determination of Rates and Collection) Rules, 2008. Currently, toll is collected for about 45,000 km of NHs and Expressways.
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