This article describes CGA's Hamlet 2 system, which provides free-flow, high-speed electronic tolling at the 5-8GHz European 'standard'. It was developed to the specifications of the French Interoperators Electronic Toll Collection System (TIS) project, which is common to all French toll motorways. It conforms to the European standards being developed by the CEN (European Standards Committee) Technical Committee 278. The Hamlet 2 system consists of: (1) a read-write system allowing various payment modes; (2) a badge with an integrated removable smart card, with recording capacity for 200 transactions; (3) a self-contained battery electricity supply; and (4) a buzzer and light-emitting diode (LED) display for communication with the driver. Hamlet 2 can be installed easily. It operates efficiently for vehicle speeds up to at least 200kph, in single lane or multi-lane situations. Single lane operations have been tested extensively, with error rate less than 10 to the power -6 in the laboratory and 10 to the power -5 in situ. Testing has also been conducted with vehicles travelling at 245kph. Specific problems, encountered with the multi-lane system, include telecommunications problems and technical and legal enforcement problems.
Abstract