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THE ‘tag and beacon’ technology could be housed in gantries such as the one pictured above, or at the side of the road. London rejected both options, dismissing the gantries as inappropriate and questioning if the roadside version would work
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London rejected tag scheme
Pamela Welsh17/ 7/2008
THE technology set to be used to charge drivers for crossing the congestion zones was rejected by transport chiefs in London when setting up their own road pricing scheme.
Transport bosses in Greater Manchester plan to use ‘tag and beacon’ technology to charge people for crossing the two congestion rings into the city.
But the technology, which has been trialled in London, was rejected by transport bosses in the capital because of concerns about its practicality.
In ‘tag and beacon technology’, a small piece of equipment will be placed inside the car, carrying a unique ID. Small receivers (beacons) are positioned at strategic points in and around a congestion charging zone.
As the tag passes the beacon, the beacon communicates with it, using low power radio, microwave or infra-red transmissions.
Although the technology is used widely on motorways - it is used on the M6 toll road - the system was rejected for London because it would be ‘unacceptably intrusive’.
However, the technology was defended by the GMPTA, the body behind the scheme.
A spokesperson said: "Tag and beacon has been shown to represent the most cost effective and consumer friendly technological solution available to date."
The system was trialled in South London but a report, published by Transport for London in February 2005, rejected it, claiming it would not work well in an urban environment.
The report identifies two main problems with the system, based around the infrastructure needed to operate it.
The report also claims the roadside beacons could be problematic because: ‘in such circumstances, a tall vehicle in the lane nearest the beacon could potentially obscure the tag in a vehicle in the next lane’.
A spokesperson for Transport for London said: "TfL have carried out trials to see how well tag and beacon technology might work in an urban environment like central London.
"No practical application is likely to be feasible in the near future, but trials are continuing."
The system works on motorways because overhead gantries can be mounted above the lanes being monitored. This would not work in a built-up area and the beacons would have to be mounted at the roadside.
This could have consequences for planning, because all 10 local authorities would have to agree on the positioning of the beacons.
Most recent 2 of 4 user comments
No to the CON charge.
18/07/2008 at 11:25
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Just a money grabbing exercise.
NO TO THE CONGESTION CHARGE
6/08/2008 at 18:56