This short article describes the method used in Austria to collect tolls automatically. Developed by Saab-Scania Combitech, the new technology eliminates the need for toll plazas. This will decrease road congestion. It can be installed on motorways that were not designed to be toll roads. Motorists will buy a smart card, which is inserted into a small pouch on their car's windscreen. This card is read by control boxes located on gantries situated above the highway. These control boxes `read' the information on the smart card, to make sure it is valid, debit the toll from the amount of credit stored on the card, and then write the amount of credit remaining on the card when the vehicle leaves the highway. Toll enforcement is carried out by using video cameras situated on the overhead gantries. A film is made of every vehicle using the road. If a car does not have a valid smart card, or if the transaction is unsuccessful, the vehicle's registration number will be recorded in a roadside computer. The vehicle owner will then be sent an invoice for the toll.
Abstract