ETC services started in Japan, with the following aims: to alleviate traffic congestion near toll gates; to enhance convenience for drivers by eliminating the need to handle cash; and to reduce management cost. The ETC system in Japan will handle the complicated system of tolls in which different amounts are charged according to the type of vehicle and distance traveled. Furthermore, one on-board equipment (OBE) can be used on numerous toll roads managed by different administrative bodies.
When ETC was developed, the following were agreed: (1) specifications to be unified to make the system available to users nationwide and compatible for transactions on all toll roads in Japan; (2) a 5.8GHz-band active system to be adopted as a DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communication) system to ensure precise interactive communication between the vehicles and roadway units; (3) the "two-piece" method using an OBE and an IC card to be adopted, to cope with future functional development and to allow multi-purpose use of IC cards; and (4) IC cards with built-in OBE such as a CPU to be used, targeting to allow mutual verification with other terminal equipment and coding of recorded data for high security.
Nationwide ETC deployment
On-board equipment (OBE) and IC card
Mechanism of ETC
Objectives of ETC
Increased ETC coverage can eliminate manned toll gates and boost the processing capacity of toll gates, thus reducing costs. Four public highway corporations in Japan are planning to install the ETC system at about 900 major toll gates in fiscal 2002.
This number accounts for approximately 70 percent of all toll gates in the country, meaning that most of the congestion-prone toll gates will be covered by the ETC system. It has been calculated that this will allow about 90 percent of total traffic to enjoy the ETC service. In future, ETC services will be introduced in principle at all toll gates to improve convenience for users.
|
Features of Japanese ETC
