SKY HIGH TOLLING : HONG KONG'S TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT IS ASSESSING WHICH TECHNOLOGY TO DEPLOY FOR ELECTRONIC ROAD PRICING

In this article, the author reports on the results of a study which compared results from trials in Hong Kong in which vehicle positioning systems (VPS) and dedicated short range communication (DSRC) systems were both used. It was found that both technologies were equally as accurate for automated toll collection applications. VPS tolling uses Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite positioning to determine the position of vehicles, while DSRC uses in-vehicle tags to identify vehicles passing under gantries. Final recommendations for a specific enforcement system or payment system are slated for Spring 2000.