| Section4 ITS deployment progress in Japan |
Provision of safe road environment |
- Automated measuring system for specially motor vehicles
- User Services :11) Management of specially permitted commercial vehicles
- Specific User Services :(36) Management of specially permitted commercial vehicles and others
The operation of vehicles with weights exceeding that specified in the second clause of Article 47 of the Road Law (Article 3 of those Vehicle Restriction Ordinance) is subject to the permission of the road administrator and must be in accordance with the terms stated in the permission. With the development of effective freight transportation and the increase in the use of large, heavy lorries, however, the number of vehicles not conforming to such terms and vehicles without permission is increasing.
To address this problem, the automated measuring system for specially motor vehicles, which is capable of detecting vehicles with specifications (such as axle load, weight, length, width, and height) exceeding the limit stated in the Vehicle Restriction Ordinance and the vehicle number round-the-clock, was introduced in November 1997 at the section on the National Highway No. 43 between Amagasaki City and the Nada District of Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture. Upon detecting a vehicle whose axle load is considerably larger than the limit, the system gives a warning to the driver using a message sign ahead of the vehicle.
A database, which stores measurement data obtained at each monitoring point and transmitted to the control office on-line, will be established by the end of 2000. The measurement data are analyzed, and administrative direction is given to the owner, user, and driver of vehicles which repeatedly exceed the limit stated in the Vehicle Restriction Ordinance. This will help reduce illegal vehicles, maintain road structures, preserve the environment along roads, and prevent accidents on the road.
In the future, the system will be modified to identify vehicles with and without permission by comparison against vehicles with permission in the database. In addition, stations for cracking down on illegal vehicles will also be built along roads to make the system more effective and encourage the operation of vehicles conforming to the laws.
(Hyogo National Highway Work Office of the Kinki Regional Construction Bureau, Ministry of Construction)
Outline of the system
Automated measuring system for specially motor vehicles installed on the National Highway No. 43
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