Electronic toll (Electronic toll)
Introduction
Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) (in English, Electronic Toll Collection) is a system that allows payment of the toll fee without the need for a physical transaction, but rather through remote communication technology the transfer can be made automatically and without the vehicle having to stop completely, ensuring a constant flow speed and without generating traffic congestion. This technology is also known as electronic tolling or free flow.
The system works electronically between a gantry (three-piece metal structure) located on the highway, which in its upper part has electronic reading devices, and a device called transponder, TAG or televía, which is mounted on the windshield of the car and receives and sends information when passing under the gantry. The device in vehicles is no larger than a wallet and is extremely light. This wireless system has become the vanguard in intelligent charging for highway use, especially in countries with high traffic flow. Countries such as Argentina (TelePASE), Australia, Canada, Chile, United States, Mexico, Panama, Colombia, Portugal (Via Verde), Spain (VIA-T) and Israel, among others, use it on their intercity and urban highways.
Widely used on toll highways, it is necessary for the user to purchase and place a small transmitter/emitter device inside the vehicle called transponder (abbreviation for transmitter responder), so that it is not necessary to stop to pay for the use of the highway, since when passing through the toll booth, the system will identify the user and carry out the transaction automatically. In this way, a considerable reduction in waiting times is achieved. The technologies initially used forced the vehicle to reduce its speed to 20 or 30 km/h; Today, the technology exists to travel at 100% of normal speed.
Norway has been the world's largest in widespread use of this technology. The first successful use of ETC was in the city of Bergen, in 1986, when it came into operation as a complement to traditional collection with toll booths. In 1991, Trondheim introduced fully automatic charging at normal operating speed for the first time worldwide, without the addition of manual charging. Today Norway has 25 toll roads operating 100% with ETC. The United States is the other country that has extensive use of electronic tolls, but as a complement to manual collection at toll booths.