Partner News: Efkon supplies Norway’s first fully electronic toll system

Date: 11 March 2008

ERTICO Partner delivers free flow toll technology for redesign and expansion of the Oslo ring.

ERTICO – ITS Europe Partner Efkon, together with Fenrits, a company of the Efkon group in Norway, will deliver CEN based microwave Multi Lane Free Flow Technology and the Optical Character Recognition system for the redesign and expansion of the Oslo Ring. The system was originally put into operation in 1990 and consists of 20 toll plazas that are now to be changed over to Single-Lane and Multi-Lane-Free Flow.

The start-up date is scheduled for 12 September 2008. To gain this contract, Efkon-Fenrits was able to give proof of technological leadership to meet key tolling requirements. Extremely high recognition system performance and a warranty for safety of transactions were the main points which made Efkon the technology supplier of Tecsidel, the Spanish systems integrator who has been awarded the contract for the redesign of the strategically important congested traffic management system around Oslo.

Efkon CEO Helmut Rieder stated that he was very pleased with the new order issued by the NPRA (Norwegian Public Roads Administration). He added that, “due to the weather conditions the electronic toll requirements are particularly difficult in Norway. Extreme lighting conditions, snow and rain are the challenges of video enforcement systems. Our camera based OCR Systems (Optical Character Recognition) & CEN 5.8 GHz DSRC Microwave Systems showed a flawless performance during the entire test phase.”

Efkon maintains that the old manually operated toll booths are becoming a thing of the past in Norway. The Multi-Lane Free Flow Toll System ensures unimpeded traffic flow at the entries and exits. Emissions harmful to the environment and accident risks are considerably reduced. There is no need for motorists to stop and pay toll, payment is now fully electronic by means of automatic vehicle recognition either by in-car OBUs or via video enforcement of the license plates.

For further information, please visit the Efkon website at www.efkon.com or contact Susanne Dielacher, Efkon Marketing Director International, at s.dielacher@efkon.com or Tel: +43 316 695675-0