big brother!
Spotted in today's Strait's Times:
"Eye-in-the-sky ERP system 'pie in the sky' for now
TRIALS which began a few months ago to determine the feasibility of a satellite-based Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) system have shown that the eye-in-the-sky concept is difficult to apply in heavily built-up areas.
'It is still very, very far off,' said Dr Chin Kian Keong, Land Transport Authority (LTA) director in charge of ERP and Intelligent Transport Systems, referring to a satellite-tracked toll system.
He said tests to determine the strength of satellite signals - using a car fitted with a device - showed that tall buildings downtown posed a challenge. 'The tracking is often quite unreliable,' he told The Straits Times.
A satellite-based system would be more efficient than the gantry system currently in use as it would enable authorities to constantly adjust road pricing as and when they become congested. It also has better scalability, enabling the LTA to implement ERP islandwide if the need arises.
'It has a lot more flexibility,'' Dr Chin said, explaining that there are constraints to where gantries can be set up. And once up, it is hard to move them.
But a satellite system may still require signs to warn motorists they are approaching a priced zone, he said. Either that or the alert capability could be built into the in-vehicle units (IUs).
Dr Chin said there are ways around the blocked satellite signals, such as installing beacons in the city to boost the signals. Or one can use intelligent IUs hooked up to the cars' own onboard computers to determine information such as speed and distance.
The technical challenges aside, Dr Chin said cost was a major consideration.
'The IUs used by the German truck tolling system costs $600 and takes three hours to install,' he noted. 'Multiply that by the 750,000 vehicles we have now - and maybe one million by the time we are ready to implement - and you have an idea of how much it costs.'
Even if an IU can be obtained for $400, it will still be much more expensive than the model currently in use - which costs $150 and takes less than an hour in install.
The heavy investment, however, would be offset by other cost savings, such as the eradication of gantries, and a smaller control centre.
'The smarter the IU, the less you need to spend on the backroom,'' Dr Chin said.
He admitted that a satellite-based system is the way to go in the future, but there is no rush to implement it. The gantry system, he said, is built to last '10 to 15 years', and can be used indefinitely 'if you keep changing the components'.
He said that the system, set up in 1998, is a reliable and proven one but it can be 'unsightly'' - especially when more gantries are needed in the future. There are now 46 gantries and the current system can accommodate around 100.
Meanwhile, the LTA will soon introduce a new IU, one that is sleeker and can read contactless cards such as the ez-link fare card. The current model can read only CashCards."
I do not agree that "a satellite-based system is the way to go in the future". We are being watched by the authorities sufficiently as it stands, if not already excessively. To now propose adding the capability to monitor exactly where my car is at all times? Thanks, but no thanks.
"Eye-in-the-sky ERP system 'pie in the sky' for now
TRIALS which began a few months ago to determine the feasibility of a satellite-based Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) system have shown that the eye-in-the-sky concept is difficult to apply in heavily built-up areas.
'It is still very, very far off,' said Dr Chin Kian Keong, Land Transport Authority (LTA) director in charge of ERP and Intelligent Transport Systems, referring to a satellite-tracked toll system.
He said tests to determine the strength of satellite signals - using a car fitted with a device - showed that tall buildings downtown posed a challenge. 'The tracking is often quite unreliable,' he told The Straits Times.
A satellite-based system would be more efficient than the gantry system currently in use as it would enable authorities to constantly adjust road pricing as and when they become congested. It also has better scalability, enabling the LTA to implement ERP islandwide if the need arises.
'It has a lot more flexibility,'' Dr Chin said, explaining that there are constraints to where gantries can be set up. And once up, it is hard to move them.
But a satellite system may still require signs to warn motorists they are approaching a priced zone, he said. Either that or the alert capability could be built into the in-vehicle units (IUs).
Dr Chin said there are ways around the blocked satellite signals, such as installing beacons in the city to boost the signals. Or one can use intelligent IUs hooked up to the cars' own onboard computers to determine information such as speed and distance.
The technical challenges aside, Dr Chin said cost was a major consideration.
'The IUs used by the German truck tolling system costs $600 and takes three hours to install,' he noted. 'Multiply that by the 750,000 vehicles we have now - and maybe one million by the time we are ready to implement - and you have an idea of how much it costs.'
Even if an IU can be obtained for $400, it will still be much more expensive than the model currently in use - which costs $150 and takes less than an hour in install.
The heavy investment, however, would be offset by other cost savings, such as the eradication of gantries, and a smaller control centre.
'The smarter the IU, the less you need to spend on the backroom,'' Dr Chin said.
He admitted that a satellite-based system is the way to go in the future, but there is no rush to implement it. The gantry system, he said, is built to last '10 to 15 years', and can be used indefinitely 'if you keep changing the components'.
He said that the system, set up in 1998, is a reliable and proven one but it can be 'unsightly'' - especially when more gantries are needed in the future. There are now 46 gantries and the current system can accommodate around 100.
Meanwhile, the LTA will soon introduce a new IU, one that is sleeker and can read contactless cards such as the ez-link fare card. The current model can read only CashCards."
I do not agree that "a satellite-based system is the way to go in the future". We are being watched by the authorities sufficiently as it stands, if not already excessively. To now propose adding the capability to monitor exactly where my car is at all times? Thanks, but no thanks.
posted by feelingsleepy | 10:45 am
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