His decision represents a major volte face by the Government which had once regarded national road pricing as a flagship policy. 

The plans had been put on hold following a public outcry which saw 1.8 million people sign a petition on the Downing Street website calling for the idea to be scrapped.

But Lord Adonis has gone further. “We definitely are not proceeding with national road user charging in the next Parliament,” he said.

“It will not be in the manifesto for the next election. This is not the time to be putting this before the British people.

“I don’t believe as Britain is coming out of recession and motorists are feeling under pressure, that this is the time to put road charging on the agenda.”

The anti road pricing petition, drafted by Peter Roberts, a Midlands businessman and backed by the Daily Telegraph, attracted more signatures than any other on the Downing Street website.

Labour’s readiness to drop the plans was welcomed by Mr Roberts. “It is great that the government has at last recognised road pricing is an unfair and unjust imposition on motorists, who already pay a fortune in taxes on their cars and petrol, and finally decided to scrap the idea.

“It is just unfortunate it has taken so many expensive national polls, surveys and campaigns before ministers actually listened to people instead of their corporate advisers. Ministers should now stop the ongoing technology trials for road pricing.

“Any further government expenditure on these fatally flawed schemes is a complete waste of taxpayers’ money”.

Despite ditching national road pricing, the Government is carrying on with a series of technology trials which could pave the way for local pricing schemes.

However Lord Adonis insisted that any council looking to charge motorists for driving would have to prove they had public support to do so. 

Source: David Millward / Telegraph

The certification process and tendering procedure started on last December. The market consultation on certification (known as the ‘main track’) is divided into three parts, of which two are open for registration (certification for fitting the system’s registration equipment and certification of the provision of service by private parties). Seven parties have registered to fit the registration equipment, and 11 to certify the provision of services by private parties.

Source: ITS International

Under the proposed system, motorists will pay per kilometer driven, with the price depending on when and where the vehicle is driven and how much pollution it creates. 

Camiel Eurlings, the Dutch Minister of Public Works, Transport and Water Management says road pricing will eventually replace the motor vehicle tax (MRB) and purchase tax (BPM).

Eurlings says his department will work with businesses to develop certification requirements and a framework for the road pricing system to ensure a solid business case is created for its implementation. 

Vehicle owners will be able to choose the service provider from which they obtain road pricing services, which would be a pioneering concept implementation.

Tendering for the trials of the road pricing system are likely to take place by means of a ‘competitive dialogue’ involving a number of selected participants.

Source: Traffic technology international

In turn, Siemens has received an Euro 81 million contract from SkyToll to supply the onboard units and roadside detectors to be used in Slovakia’s new truck toll system.

All trucks and buses weighing 3.5 metric tons or more will be included in Slovakia’s electronic tolling program, which will extend over 2,400km of roads in the country. SkyToll’s press release does not specify how toll collection of transit vehicles will be managed.

NDS excluded three out of four bidders participating in the tender (Kapsch, Tossy and Slovakpass), leaving only one contender – the SanToll consortium, which includes the mysterious IberTax holding. In this latest rejected complaint an excluded bidder (Kapsch) has complained that NDS violated the principle of non-discrimination against the other contenders by accepting SanToll’s controversial responses to its questions about the offer. NDS, by requesting that SanToll explain its offer, allegedly allowed the contender to expand its offer.

Source: TollInfo news

Car owners from wealthier districts could find themselves paying more than those from poorer areas.

A 300-page document issued to firms bidding to run road-pricing trials says any scheme must take account of ‘fairness’ and different ‘road user classes’.

The pay-as-you-drive charges of up to £1.50 a mile would be based on a motorist’s address on the electoral register.

A Department for Transport spokesman said differential charging was aimed only at allowing councils to offer discounts to residents.

But experts from the magazine Autocar said their analysis of the tender document suggested the middle classes would be in line for higher tolls.

‘This opens the way for a postcode lottery of road-pricing charges.’ said Hilton Holloway, associate editor of Autocar.

‘It has all the potential for yet another stealth tax on Middle Britain.

‘Using the electoral register to determine a driver’s address makes it possible for ministers or councils to charge drivers from wealthier, well-heeled areas more than those in what they may consider to be more socially deprived areas.

‘It’s bringing class politics to pay-asyou-drive tolls. Ministers have decided to try to implement the world’s most complex toll system.’

Drivers taking part in the trials, which would require ‘spy in the sky’ satellite technology, are expected be issued with windscreen-mounted charge cards.

Fees would vary according to the time of day. Possible ‘user classes’ include blue badge holders and emergency workers.

The official document also defines the four main categories of road as city centre, city, country and countryside.

Vehicles would be assigned into one of seven classes, from motorcycles to HGVs.

Ministers also want the trials to test ‘entry and exit’ tolls which charge drivers for entering designated areas.

The document from the DfT’s road pricing framework division was sent to firms interested in running eight feasibility trials. Lasting 24 months, these exercises will include a practical trial using ‘real’ money.

Ministers are close to signing contracts with four companies for the project to start in early 2010.

Tracking and charging devices will be fitted to about 100 cars.

The launch might clash with the next general election, making road-charging a political issue in marginal Labour constituencies  -  including Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly’s in Bolton.

The DfT spokesman said of the ‘user class’ condition: ‘This is intended purely to allow local authorities to offer a local residents’ discount as part of any congestion charging scheme they chose to introduce  -  such as in London where residents living within the charging zone receive a 90 per cent discount.

‘The technology trials will help local authorities with their thinking on congestion charging.

‘We have been absolutely clear that we are a long way from being able to make any decision on national road pricing and that the legitimate concerns that people may have must be addressed first.’

Source: Ray Massey / Daily Mirror

So far UVO has dismissed one objection by Austrian company Kapsch TrafficCom: “The ÚVO dismissed the objection because the office did not share the consortium’s opinion,” ÚVO spokesperson Helena Fialová said on August 12.

ÚVO will next deal with the two other objections by Slovakpass and ToSy: “ÚVO is dealing with these motions, the decisions will be issued by September 2 in the first case and by September 8, 2008, in the second case,” Fialová said.

Source: SITA

Source: SITA

SANRAL also intends procuring a Transaction Clearing House (TCH), which will allow a motorist to register an Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) account that will be valid for use across all ETC toll projects nationally. The TCH will undertake central ETC account management and transaction clearing services in respect of all ETC transactions generated on toll roads operated on behalf of SANRAL and its Concessionaires, now and in the future.

A central national Violations Processing Centre (VPC) will be established for the processing and collection of unpaid toll fees and unpaid toll accounts.

The envisaged scope of works for the first phase and this prequalification includes:

    *The supply of the complete tolling system, which will include the Road Side System (hardware, software and integration), an ORT Back Office system for transaction collection, a TCH system to be used for central account management and transaction clearing, and a VPC system for the processing of unpaid toll fees and to recover costs related to it.

    *The integration and maintenance of all the above listed systems.

    *All facilities maintenance, including electrical and mechanical maintenance, related to the Project.

    *The operation of the ORT Back Office, TCH and VPC.

    *All customer service operations for point of presence customer service (including electronic tag distribution to motorists) at all route-based customer service centres and selected customer service kiosks located elsewhere, using an account and tag management interface to the TCH system.

SANRAL is inviting applications from suitably qualified and experienced applicants (companies, joint ventures, consortiums or partnerships) that meet the Prequalification requirements and evaluation criteria to Prequalify for one or more of the Packages as defined in the Prequalification Documentation (PQD). Prequalified Applicants will subsequently be invited and permitted to participate in the Tender process that will follow the prequalification process.

The Prequalification Documentation (PQD), together with application forms to be completed by applicants will be available from 8 August 2008 for download from the SANRAL website:  www.nra.co.za/live/pagebuilder/components/tenders/display-tender.php?Tender_ID=170

As part of the documentation download, applicants will be required to register company and contact information on the website. This information will be used to compile distribution lists for applicants who have registered.

A compulsory clarification meeting will be held on 28 August 2008 at 10h00 South African time (GMT +2 hours) at Sanral’s corporate offices in Pretoria. Non attendance at the clarification meeting will disqualify the applicant.

Applicants should submit all enquiries by email or fax: Tolplan (PTY) Ltd for the attention of Mr. B. Attention: Mr. B. Koekemoer (Fax: +27 12 369 7700 – Email: bkoekemoer@tolplan.co.za)

Source: ITS International

The Republic of Slovenia plans to introduce a free-flow multilane Electronic Fee Collection (EFC) system for heavy vehicles. 

The key elements of the planned EFC System are: 

— The system applies to all vehicles above 3,5 tons, including buses, with some exemptions, e.g. agricultural vehicles. The charge applies equally to national and foreign vehicles. About 75 000 Slovenian vehicles will be subject. 

— The tolled network encompasses all motorways and express ways, plus a defined set of lower class roads. Total network length is about 1 900 km (subject to final definition in law). 

— The charge will legally be a fee subject to VAT. It will be collected by the Operator, which will be a company under private law, jointly controlled by the state, represented by the Ministry of Transport, and by DARS, the Slovenian motorway concessionaire. 

— The tolled network is composed of defined road segments. The charge is to be paid per road segment passed. The tariff depends on segment length, and on vehicle characteristics (number of axles, EURO emission category). The tariff may depend on time of day, if the technical solution allows for it. 

— The fee shall be collected in free flowing traffic. Users shall be offered a fully automatic solution with on-board equipment using technology compliant with Directive 2004/52/EC. A non-discriminatory solution must also be offered that can be obtained by any user within very short time (i.e. without long installation) anywhere in Slovenia. Whether this non-discriminatory offer is implemented with on-board equipment or with another solution is not prescribed. 

— The institutional setup follows the CESARE model. Also the procurement documentation follows this model throughout. 

— The scope of the procurement is the provision of the toll collection service (Service Provider in the CESARE model), plus some central services for the Operator (part of the Toll Charger in CESARE). 

— The system shall be in operation within one year after signing the contract with the service provider.