Will all highways use ETC in the future?
1 Answers
Not all highways will exclusively use ETC. All highway toll lanes are equipped with ETC functionality, but there will be mixed lanes for both manual and ETC transactions. ETC (Electronic Toll Collection): It is an automatic toll collection system for highways or bridges. It utilizes computer networking technology to process transactions with banks in the background, allowing vehicles to pass through highway or bridge toll stations without stopping to pay fees. ETC's deduction principle: Highways will have one or more ETC lanes. Through dedicated short-range microwave communication between the vehicle's electronic tag (installed on the windshield) and the microwave antenna in the ETC lane, transactions are processed via computer networking with banks. This enables vehicles to pay tolls without stopping at the toll station, all based on the principle of "pass first, deduct later." Benefits of installing ETC: Time-saving: Eliminates the hassle of waiting in queues; Green and eco-friendly: Reduces noise and exhaust emissions by allowing vehicles to pass through toll stations without stopping, thus lowering pollution; Reduced wear and tear: Saves costs by minimizing frequent starts and stops, reducing vehicle wear and fuel consumption; Improved efficiency: ETC lanes can theoretically increase traffic flow efficiency by 2-3 times, making traditional ETC faster, more advanced, and more high-tech. Compared to license plate payment, ETC technology is more mature and advantageous. More policy support: The State Council clearly stated in the "13th Five-Year Plan for the Development of a Modern Integrated Transportation System" that "by 2020, intercity transportation cards will be widely interoperable in key city clusters, and the proportion of vehicles equipped with ETC will significantly increase." It also set a target of "achieving a 50% ETC usage rate for road passenger vehicles by 2020" in the main indicators of the "13th Five-Year" comprehensive transportation development plan. More future possibilities: In addition to continuously improving the convenience of ETC installation and usage rates for passenger vehicles, efforts will be made to promote ETC adoption for trucks and explore deeper integration of ETC systems with vehicle-to-vehicle communication, vehicle-to-infrastructure coordination, and other smart transportation developments. This will provide comprehensive travel services for vehicle owners, meaning more application scenarios will support ETC usage.
