Jan/Feb 2004

Could the UK Government's plans for telematics-based road charging render the kind of toll booth shown here be obsolete within a few years of its creation? That's implicit in the spin underlying current proposals, even though serious doubts are being raised by operators and suppliers about whether such a scheme can work, or would in fact bring the expected benefits.

That's still in the future, however. Here in the present, our illustration shows one of the shiny new toll stations on the 27-mile M6 toll motorway in the Midlands, which opened in December, and is said to cut between 20 and 40 minutes off journey times through the Midlands. Seen emerging from it is one of five Mercedes-Benz Atego trucks with Econ gritter bodies that are helping keep the motorway open.

Currently payment for using the route is made either with cash or with an on-board "tag" similar to those used for many years at the Dartford crossing. This system, supplied by Ascom, in theory allows motorists to drive past the barriers at up to 30 mph, though few would probably be bold enough to try it at that speed.

Other technology used on the route includes a hard-wired gigabit Ethernet network supplied by Cisco to link all toll points to the head office. The infrastructure includes Internet access at some toll stations so that staff can respond appropriately to online information on traffic or other matters.