How is the new toll system with smart cameras that will replace traditional cabins with gates

A new automatic toll system, which will replace traditional stands with barriers, will begin to be implemented in the coming months in the city of Buenos Aires with the opening of Paseo del Bajo, the brand new corridor for buses and trucks that will link from April the Illia highway to Buenos Aires-La Plata.

Its use already started testing this month at the Salguero and Sarmiento accesses of the Illia highway. In accordance with the provisional plan managed by Autopistas Urbanas SA (AUSA), The goal is to eliminate all the stands with gates in the city from here 2023.

As explained by the authorities of the state company, this "will simplify and accelerate the flow of information through the use of advanced technology." In this direction, Carlos Frugoni, president of AUSA, stressed Infobae What 200 traditional cars pbaded in traditional cabins per hour, whereas with the new system, 800 can pbad. In addition, he believes that accidents and pollution will be reduced through the elimination of stops and waiting times.

For project design and badembly of tender documents, They consulted the experiences of Chile and the state of Florida in the United States.who have already put in place similar systems of "free movement".

The new frames will be installed in each lane laser scanners, cameras with LPR (English License Plate Recognition) patent recognition technology and an emission antenna. So, when a vehicle approaches, the first laser will activate a camera that will take a picture of the patent before, at the same time that the antenna will look for Telepase. When crossing the gantry, with the information of the three lasers, a virtual image will be generated to determine the type of car and the category to which it corresponds because of its dimensions. In addition, the second camera will take another picture of the previous patent.

The data will be processed by AUSA and validated with the Telepase user registry to calculate the payment. If the vehicle does not have Telepase, The information will be cross-referenced with the car ownership registry database to issue an invoice that will be sent to the owner.

The most controversial fact is that, in the case where Telepase is not available, the user will pay double the rate in 10 days. From day 11 to 30, the rate will be multiplied by three; and from 31 to 89, extra charges will be added in case of late payment. After three months, if the payment has not been credited, a fine will be sent to the address of the owner. In other words, it will be considered a traffic offense.

"It's a way to invite all users to use Telepase and take care of people who are still paying," he said. Camila Suárez, operational director of AUSA, regarding sanctions.

Although the deadlines are not yet determined, they calculate that the Illia highway will begin to be modernized in 2020. In 2021, it will be the turn of the Perito Moreno, while the 25 May and the 9 July highway to the south will respectively for 2022 and 2023. On the other hand, The company also aims to be able to charge daily to all users who use a section of highways, since at present 620,000 pay only 320,000.

As an example, they point out that a user can borrow the Illia highway at the height of Panamericana and get off at Sarmiento without paying. In 2023, they will not be able to do it.

For the implementation of the modernization plan in 2017, an agreement was signed with the Trade Workers' Union (mostly on the roads controlled by AUSA) to train and retrain workers. "This shows that technology should not remove jobs"The 583 people who worked in the cabins or as signalers will now work in the areas of billing, patent validation or surveillance, among others.

Offers from all parties that make up the system represented an investment of about 15 million USD. However, according to AUSA, calculate that if everything works well, the money will be recovered in three years.