Singapore to test camera, location system for traffic

The Singapore Land Transport Authority (LTA) has begun testing an Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) camera system with Dedicated Short Range Communications (DSRC) beacons at various locations along expressways and major thoroughfares.

The testing started March 26 and will conclude in 2019.

An example of the equipment that will be mounted on existing roadside infrastructure. (Image: LTA)

The use of ANPR technology will facilitate enforcement, while DSRC beacons will also be installed in some areas to enhance positioning accuracy in Singapore’s highly urbanized environment.

The tests will enable LTA to determine the performance and reliability of such technologies under various real-life environmental and traffic conditions for future traffic management systems that will leverage GNSS technology.

The technologies being tested do not require heavy physical infrastructure and will be mounted on existing roadside infrastructure such as overhead bridges, overhead gantry signages and lamp posts, as well as EMAS gantries.

Testing equipment will also be mounted onto vehicles, which will be deployed at localized areas such as Tuas South from April 2018, before expanding island-wide for testing.

In 2016, LTA awarded a S$556 million contract to the consortium of NCS and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Engine System Asia to build a next-generation electronic road pricing system based on GNSS technology, reports Channel NewsAsia.

The new system will allow motorists to be charged according to distance traveled on congested roads, removing the need for physical gantries.

An example of the equipment that will be mounted onto vehicles. (Image: LTA)