eC Highway Toll Systems

The traditional method of toll-fee assessment and collection introduces “choke points” into the flow of traffic as vehicles enter or exit the system.

Consider why the traditional toll methods are so sensitive to traffic congestion. The short answer is that they represent a dead-stop impediment to the free flow of traffic through the system.

The payment process itself is slow; the driver searches for money or a token, passes it over, and change or a receipt is returned. Thus, the average delay at an exit is much longer than at the entrance, and the variation in service time can be substantial.

A brief examination of a toll system suggests two options to improve the situation: either reduce the number of cars—a difficult proposition, though new congestion-based fee structures may do just that—or reduce the service time at the toll booths.

The electronic toll systems were designed to address traffic congestion by removing the most significant time-consuming obstacles to travel, and as an additional benefit, reduce the energy wasted (and pollution produced) while idling in long lines at toll booths.

A further bonus (if it can be so described) is that all the related data is collected and stored for future reference.

Traditional toll systems were relatively anonymous. There was no record of a particular driver; The system only knew that a driver traveled from the entrance to the exit, and paid the correct toll.

With the electronic systems, a particular transponder (and, by virtue of the license image, a specific car) is directly connected to a particular trip, such that there is a complete transaction history of EVERY time that the system is used by a particular vehicle.

This aspect has not been lost on law enforcement officials or divorce lawyers. The issues regarding access to and security of the toll system database are becoming complex and controversial, providing an excellent example of how the “right” to privacy and increasingly vital “need” for (national) security often come into conflict.