According to new survey data released by the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association (IBTTA), advancements in electronic tolling are transforming highway transportation by providing greater mobility, smoother traffic flow and improved safety for drivers and their passengers.
The new report, released during the IBTTA’s 84th Annual Meeting and Exhibition in Denver, Colorado, shines a light on the dramatic changes that technology has brought to toll operators and their customers, with new systems having the ability to increase mobility, reduce congestion, improve safety and reliability, and boost economic growth. The new survey, Toll Technology Transforms Mobility for Customers, conducted during the third quarter of 2016, collected technology-related data from 36 tolling agencies in 18 states, representing all regions of the country. The 36 agencies account for more than 80% of the industry’s toll revenue in the USA.
The study’s major findings show:
• With the implementation of new technologies, cash use continues to decline, with a decrease of 29-18% from 2010 to 2015, as a share of total revenue
• Between 2010 and 2015, there has been an increase of 19.3m electronic transponders on the USA’s roads
• There were 32.7m toll accounts in 2015, up sharply from 19.9m toll accounts in 2010; an increase of more than 64%
• The 36 toll facilities participating in the survey experienced a combined increase of US$4.7bn in revenues between 2010 and 2015
As demonstrated in the report, the ongoing rise in the use of electronic and video tolling, and the decrease in the use of cash at toll facilities, portend an increasingly high-tech future for tolling and transportation throughout the country. The IBTTA’s National Toll Facilities Usage Analysis report, released earlier this year, showed the use of toll facilities increased by 7% between 2014 and 2015, a record-breaking rate of growth that puts tolling use on pace to double in less than 10 years.
“Technology is transforming today’s driving experience as more states move away from cash tolls and embrace cashless solutions,” said Patrick D Jones, executive director and CEO of IBTTA. “This survey data offers us a stunning illustration of how technology has rapidly altered the transportation landscape in the last several years, and forecasts the increasing role it is certain to play well into the future. As more tolling innovations make their way through the technology pipeline, and as the industry works toward achieving interoperability nationwide, drivers are looking at a user-focused future, enhanced by ever-evolving technologies that continually improve convenience and safety on America’s highways, bridges and tunnels.”
The IBTTA’s president, Earl ‘Buddy’ J Croft III, executive director of the Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority, added, “As all-electronic tolling (AET) expands, people and goods travel more efficiently, helping to spur more robust economic growth. Across the nation, more tolling agencies are turning to AET as a proven congestion buster that delivers a safer, more predictable ride for users who need to reach their destinations on time.”
