A Deep Dive into Tolling Technology

Technology is at the heart of everything tolling agencies do—from payments and collections, to traffic management, to customer service.

That's why IBTTA’s Global Technology Workshop, taking place this year in Normandy, France, is a highlight of the industry’s annual conference calendar. With tolling agencies driving for regional interoperability and intelligent transportation systems (ITS) on the rise, there’s no better moment to hear from the best minds in transportation technology and discuss next steps with industry colleagues.

Tolling and ITS

Convergence is the next big step in the relationship between tolling and intelligent transportation systems. Therefore, the Normandy workshop features general sessions on the steps agencies are taking to integrate tolling and ITS operations, as well as on the role of ITS and other technologies in building resilience against extreme weather.

Integration with ITS is being driven by the rise of managed lanes, the growing success of mileage-based user fee (MBUF) systems, and the mounting optimism around connected vehicles. The hope is that a new generation of technology could some day open the door to congestion relief without new lanes or pavement, enabling a larger number of highway users to travel more safely in tighter formation.

We aren’t there yet, but that’s all the more reason to attend the Global Technology Workshop and learn about the latest state of the art technologies being used in transportation industry.

Toll Collection Technologies

Tolling agencies rely on the very best technology for quick, accurate revenue collection. In North America last month, the E-ZPass Group celebrated the 20^th anniversary when toll facilities in three U.S. states ushered in the era of regional interoperability, using vehicle identification technologies that have continued to evolve and improve ever since.

Two decades later, the North American industry is working toward a 2016 Congressional deadline for full, nationwide interoperability in the U.S., while Europe expects to introduce a regional electronic toll service in 2015. At the Global Technology Workshop, you’ll hear about the transponder/onboard unit technologies, license plate recognition systems, and emerging smart phone apps that continue to transform the tolling industry.

Technology Trends, Big and Small

The closing session of the two-day workshop will bring together all the megatrends that are leading toward an ever smarter future for the tolling industry. Panelists will discuss electric vehicles and clean engines, managed lanes, innovative financing and road user charging, intermodal payments, V2X technology to connect infrastructure with vehicles, and the growing use of social media to deliver tolling agency messaging, from routine marketing to life-saving emergency information.

The Global Technology Workshop will also take a deep dive into the technologies that support roadway operations, and address the institutional issues that shape tolling agencies’ use of technology. A “lightning round” of three- to five-minute presentations will bring together the latest innovations that tolling agencies and vendors are trying out in their own operations.

It isn’t too late to register for IBTTA’s 2013 Global Technology Workshop, October 27-29, 2013 in Normandy, France. Please visit our home page for more information.