Delegates attending Australia’s National Electronic Tolling Forum 2017 will be provided with special access to two of Sydney’s most significant transportation centers.
Hosted by ITS Australia, the NeTC’s (National Electronic Tolling Committee) National Electronic Tolling Forum is the Asia-Pacific region’s premier tolling forum. Held on May 23-25, in Sydney, New South Wales, the event will attract industry professionals, for presentations and networking functions.
This year’s conference is themed ‘Converging Smarter Tolling Technologies’, and is supported by Cubic Transportation Systems, Transurban, Kapsch, Q-Free, and Roads and Maritime Services New South Wales. ITS Australia has arranged technical tours of the Sydney Transport Management Center (TMC) and the new M5 Control room and Southwest motorway, as key elements of the annual road tolling forum.
The Sydney TMC uses innovative and intelligent smart city technologies, operates 24/7, and manages around 600 planned and unplanned incidents on the network daily. Highly sophisticated digital resources, systems and processes lead planning and coordination for the proactive real-time management of the transport network, enabling seamless, safe and reliable journeys for customers.
“A multi-modal approach to network management, working with public and private transport operators, NSW Police, emergency services and industry, keeps the state’s transport network moving,” noted Scott White, executive director of the TMC.
“The TMC plays a key role in ensuring 5.2 million drivers and 6.1 million vehicles can travel safely on our 18,000km (11,185 miles) of roads. Technology and data analysis in the TMC, by specially trained staff operating the advanced traffic monitoring systems, is driving the delivery of consistent travel times on a daily basis. We look forward to engaging with NeTC transport thought leaders, to share information and explore future initiatives.”
Opened in August 1992, the M5 South-West Motorway is a free-flowing transit corridor spanning 13.6 miles (22km) of Sydney’s south west. The motorway was significantly widened and upgraded between 2012 and 2014. This delivered an extra lane in each direction, conversion to fully electronic tolling, a new operational management and control system, and the installation of new technology infrastructure.
Rex Wright, general manager at Interlink Roads, said, “The wider M5 South-West has reduced peak travel time congestion, improved overall travel times, and reduced the burden on local road networks. The M5 is a key contributor to the economic growth of Southwestern Sydney. Improving this important piece of infrastructure was designed to help this growth. Smart technology has enabled us to address challenges of noise, safety and efficiency, and by installing 22 variable messaging signs and 51 traffic monitoring CCTV cameras, the road is more connected for users. We are delighted to show visitors the newest motorway control center in Sydney.”
ITS Australia’s CEO, Susan Harris, commented, “The caliber of this year’s Technical Tours is an indication of the significance of NeTC, highlighting Australia’s leadership in tolling, including work on new models of transport pricing. The inclusion of two extremely significant transport centers will provide important insights for the industry. Technology and initiatives are paving the way for transformational transport outcomes to make travel safer, more efficient and sustainable.”
