South Africa’s traffic authorities turn to technology in a bid to ease

Traffic congestion on South African roads is becoming an ever-present nightmare for road users, negatively affecting productivity and the environment. Existing ‘hard’ transport infrastructure has not kept pace with the increased number of vehicles that have been bought as a result of the country’s significant economic growth in recent years, itself underpinned by a boom in consumer spending. The Road Traffic Management Corporation’s figures for January 2007 indicate that there are

2 968 293 motorised vehicles on Gauteng’s roads, 1 101 426 on KwaZulu-Natal’s and 1 317 586 on the Western Cape’s.

Owing to a lack of viable public transport options in the country, private cars are more a necessity than a choice. An upwardly mobile middle class, coupled with increased access to car finance, and the entry of a greater range of less-expensive vehicle models into the market have all contributed to the rise in vehicles on the roads. The augmentation of existing transport infrastructure through the construction of more roads is, thus, a logical solution to the road congestion problem. But it is also a very complex, slow-moving and capital-intensive process.

For this reason, Intelligent Trans-port Systems (ITS) CEO Dr Paul Vorster argues that it is vital that traffic authorities first try to optimise the use of existing capacity before looking to creating more. He acknowledges that South Africa is definitely in need of more roads, but says that it should also pursue a solution that maximises the throughput of vehicles on its current network.

This is where ITS comes into its own, Vorster indicates. Systems can be introduced to improve the traffic situation by enabling motorists to make informed decisions about their travelling alternatives. Vorster adds that, while additional roads may ameliorate congestion problems to a certain extent, without effective traffic management systems in place, unnecessary delays and motorist frustration will remain unchanged.

“While ITS technologies can contribute significantly to improved transport efficiencies and improved safety and road-user convenience, the development of acceptable public transport systems is not negotiable,” says Vorster.

Various solutions are currently under serious examination and some are already being piloted. Engineering News takes a look at some of the main solutions under review.


Electronic toll collection

The introduction of the ‘user pays’ principle on more of South Africa’s roads is seen as one way of generating the resources needed to upgrade and expand the main road networks, while ensuring that there is still money left over for secondary and tertiary road development, as well as public-transport solutions. Road users will pay according to their road usage – the kilometres travel-led on the particular road and the size of the vehicle. This relationship is viewed as critical as road users may also be less resistant to additional tolls if they know that the fee is relevant to their usage.

But there is also a view that technology, known as electronic toll collection (ETC), should be used to make the tolling experience less disruptive. Current toll collection systems are known to create congestion, with vehicles coming to a stop at the booths and delays related to finding change or the appropriate card. Vorster says that this congestion can be countered through the implementation of certain intelligent systems.

Field devices can be set up alongside the road leading up to the toll; these devices will pick up an identity number of the vehicle through an etag that actively sends out a signal. An etag is a battery-powered electronic device that is attached to the windscreen of a car. As a vehicle that is fitted with an etag approaches a toll plaza and selects a specified etag lane, the etag is read by an antenna in the plaza roof and the boom opens auto- matically. Road users are able to pay their tolls upfront, and the field device will determine if there is credit available. If the road user is deemed valid and with suffi-cient credit, the vehicle proceeds straight through the toll without having to stop.

ETC is operational on the N1 and N4 Bakwena Platinum highway that runs from Bela-Bela through Tshwane, Brits, Rustenburg, Groot Marico, Zeerust and into Botswana. While this system currently co- exists with conventional manual payment tolls, the new generation of ETC systems provide free-flow tolling that can be used on freeways without infringing on the flow of traffic.

Vorster says the ETC system and automated number-plate recogntion technology can be more widely used in alleviating congestion. “London and other cities are also using road charging schemes to manage inner-city congestion,” he continues.

“The time will come, when public transport systems are available as options, that we have to debate the potential benefits of congestion charging in central business districts,” comments Vorster.

He notes that banks may become involved by creating different electronic payment methods. ePayment systems, using smart card technology, will contribute towards an improved public transport system.

Automatic number-plate recognition

Another option being probed is automatic number-plate recognition (ANPR). This technology is relatively newly developed and works by taking a picture of a vehicle’s number plate; it then digitises the image. The image goes onto a database and the number plate is checked for registration, licensing, outstanding fines or any other relevant information. Vorster illustrates that this tool can be used at a roadblock, for example, to identify, and possibly recover, stolen cars. A dynamic roadblock is set up with ANPR field devices laid out along the road leading to it. As the cars approach, the vehicle’s details will be verified and the system will pick up if it has been stolen or hijacked. Police at the roadblock are alerted before the cars reach the roadblock and will be able to stop only the suspected cars while allowing the rest of the traffic to flow freely. Vorster remarks that this tool is an example of how technology can be used to make existing methods more effective.


Some pilot projects already under way
Gauteng, South Africa’s economic hub, occupies a mere 2% of the country’s land mass but is respons-ible for an impressive 47,7% of employee remuneration, and has the highest number of motorised vehicles. South African Roads Agency (Sanral) CEO Nazir Alli explains that the accelerated growth in the province has led to increased demand for services and infrastructure, especially transport infra-structure.

He admits that continued con- gestion is having a negative impact on the quality of life of Gauteng citizens and on sustainable develop- ment. He projects that catering for the traffic demand at current growth rates would require an impossible 36 lanes on the N1 or the Ben Schoeman freeway, linking Johannesburg and Pretoria, in the next 20 years. Given that such a solution is impossible, Alli believes that what the province requires is an integrated transport solution that encompasses public transport management, travel demand management, road capa- city provision and road network management, or ITS.

As part of this endeavour, Sanral launched the Gauteng Freeway Management Project, which incorporates ITS, in October. The initia- tive has included the provision of real-time information by variable- message signs (VMS), cellphone messaging, a Web page and radio reports. The first phase of the Sanral ITS project focused on the N1, or the Ben Schoeman freeway, is nearing completion. The project has involved the establishment of a centralised network management centre, closed- circuit television cameras (CCTV) and VMS. Sanral toll and traffic manager Alex van Niekerk says the integration of the software at the operating centre is being finalised and should be completed in the next three to four months.

Another research and develop- ment project undertaken by the agency for the past two years is the creation of an electronic vehicle identification (EVI) system. It works by placing a passive electronic chip, assigned with a permanent identi- fication number, on a vehicle. EVI relies on the 915-MHz radio- frequency identification tag to gather information about the vehicle.

This information may include, for example, registration, licensing and related data, and can be accessed by the relevant agencies.

Van Niekerk reports that, during the research phase, a lot of interference has shown up owing to the proliferation of cellphone signals. In December last year, the read rate was about 86%, and Van Niekerk says they are currently working to improve this figure.

He argues that the project has been successful from Sanral’s perspective as it has augmented the amount of valid information the agency has been able to gather about the freeway’s traffic conditions. “We can identify what impacts the network and what can be done about it,” he says. The VMS has also been well received by road users and has been an effective traffic management tool. Van Niekerk says that incident management still remains a significant challenge. Also, the agency has still not been able to provide road users with an estimated travel time, as was expected.

But Sanral is pressing ahead and will be rolling out an additional 170 km of fibre optics and CCTV cameras installed along Gauteng’s freeways. This extension of the ITS project, as well as other projects, including VMS, traffic detector equipment and EVI readers, should be completed by the beginning of next year.

Integrating public transport
In parallel to these are some major public transport initiatives, since the authorities recognise that, in order to take the pressure off South Africa’s road network, motorists have to be offered a viable public transport alternative.

At present, public transport in the country is often described as a mode of force, rather than choice – a phrase often used by Gautrain project leader Jack van der Merwe. Its user demographic is predominantly in the lower-income margin, earning R1 600 or less a month. Available modes include commuter rail, minibus taxis and buses – many of which are old, unsafe and unreliable. Convenience, relia- bility and safety are rarely offered by any mode of transport other than the private vehicle, but with worsening congestion this is not always the case. Further, growing populations in the various provinces have also boosted demand for public transport. The need for a drastic transport overhaul nationwide is almost overwhelming.


By: Olivia Spadavecchia
Edited by: Martin Zhuwakinyu