Can I Use the Highway Without ETC After Installation?
1 Answers
It is possible to use the highway without ETC. According to the State Council's regulations, vehicles without ETC installed by 2020 will not enjoy toll discounts. In the future, only one manual lane will be retained at highway toll stations, requiring drivers to pay tolls manually. Additionally, newly installed ETC devices cannot be used immediately on highways; they must be activated first. During free holiday periods, highways can still be used. For vehicles with ETC installed, passing through ETC lanes during these periods will not incur charges. ETC Billing Principle: Highways have one or more ETC lanes. Through dedicated short-range microwave communication between the vehicle's onboard electronic tag (installed on the windshield) and the microwave antenna in the ETC lane, the system uses computer networking technology to settle payments with banks in the background. This allows vehicles to pass through toll stations without stopping, based on the principle of "pass first, pay later." Benefits of Installing ETC: Time-saving: Eliminates the hassle of waiting in queues; Green and eco-friendly: Promotes low-carbon travel by reducing noise and exhaust emissions since vehicles do not need to stop at toll stations; Cost-saving: Reduces vehicle wear and fuel consumption by minimizing frequent starts and stops. Users also enjoy a 5% discount on toll fees; Improved efficiency: ETC lanes can theoretically increase traffic flow efficiency by 2-3 times, making traditional ETC systems faster, more advanced, and more efficient. Compared to license plate payment systems, ETC technology is more mature and advantageous. More policy support: The State Council's "13th Five-Year Plan for the Development of a Modern Comprehensive Transportation System" explicitly states the goal of "achieving interoperability of transportation cards in key urban clusters by 2020 and significantly increasing the proportion of vehicles equipped with ETC." The plan also sets a target of "50% ETC usage rate for road passenger vehicles by 2020" in its main indicators for comprehensive transportation development. Future possibilities: Beyond improving the convenience of ETC installation and increasing its usage rate among passenger vehicles, future efforts will focus on promoting ETC adoption for trucks and exploring deeper integration of ETC systems with smart transportation initiatives like vehicle-to-vehicle communication and vehicle-to-infrastructure coordination. This will provide comprehensive travel services for vehicle owners, meaning more application scenarios will support ETC usage.