What to expect at this first-of-its-kind event for the Asia-Pacific region, which takes place at the Four Points by Sheraton Singapore, Riverview hotel in Singapore on 05-06 October 2023…
Following in the footsteps of its Brussels and Miami-based counterparts, the latest edition in Akabo Media’s global Road User Charging Conference series – Road User Charging Conference Asia Pacific – will highlight the latest tolling technologies, road-user charging (RUC) projects and intelligent transport systems being implemented across the Asia-Pacific region.
With more than half of the world’s population living in the region, the Asia Pacific constitutes a diverse mix of fast emerging and developed economies that collectively account for a large, connected road network enabling the flow of people and goods – which presents a host of complex challenges and exciting opportunities for senior decision-makers responsible for operating and maintaining the transportation infrastructure in this incredibly important part of the world.
Thus, Road User Charging Conference Asia Pacific 2023 will bring together leading public- and private-sector transportation professionals from organisations and businesses based in some 40 countries across the region to share best practices, ideas, and information on how to better regulate traffic and generate revenues on highways and major arterial roads in and out of the region’s most congested cities, including Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Sydney, Bengaluru, Chongqing, Tokyo, Jakarta and Seoul.
A bespoke agenda tailored specifically to countries within the Asia-Pacific region focuses provides insight into a variety of charging models including time- and distance-based charging, congestion charging, emission-based charging and all-electronic tolling.
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For example, Victor Shu, deputy director of Singapore’s Land Transport Authority’s Nexgen ERP Taskforce, will discuss the host state’s ongoing shift toward a new satellite-based road pricing system. Likewise, Walter Edgar Theseira, associate professor of economics at Singapore University of Social Sciences, will offer up analysis of the economic and political challenges Singapore is striving to overcome in order to implement one of the largest, most sophisticated urban road pricing systems in the world.
The programme also tackles a variety of crucial topics and issues that form different parts of the conversation around tolling and road-user charging, such as financing and procurement, enforcement and compliance, payment systems and options, rate setting policies and practices, interoperability, communication and PR, legislation and policy, data and privacy, equity, sustainability and decarbonisation.
Regarding financing, Elly Sinaga, president of the Indonesia Road Safety Partnership, will provide an overview of her country’s toll-road construction financing system and explain how toll tariffs are determined and integrated among toll companies.
The topic of equity in RUC will be tackled by Adrian Moore, vice president of policy at US think tank, the Reason Foundation. During the session, Moore will examine the issues with addressing equity within a RUC programme the different levels of interaction between government and users; lessons learned about how RUC affects equity relative to prior revenue sources; and illustrate how different jurisdictions around the world have sought to address RUC equity issues.
The very future of RUC in two close neighbouring countries will also be discussed. First, Marian Willberg, manager for demand management and revenue at New Zealand’s Ministry of Transport, will explain New Zealand’s RUC system – which it’s had for diesel and heavy vehicles since 1978 – including its advantages and disadvantages, before outlining the challenges facing the funding of land transport in New Zealand, and the work being undertaken to explore how to fund land transport in the future.
Following this, senator Bridget McKenzie, Australia’s shadow minister for infrastructure, transport and regional development, will talk about the politics of introducing RUC in Australia. Her session will cover why both state and federal Australian governments are encouraging the growth of EVs by resisting the introduction of road user charges, and why someone will eventually have to pay for the country’s vast road network and how policymakers are grappling with these challenges.
Elsewhere in the programme, Tongkarn Kaewchalermtong, chairman of transportation and logistics working group at the ASEAN Federation of Engineering Organizations, will present Thailand’s strategy for handling the growing volume of motorists on the country’s roads. Not only will he discuss the proposed charges for motorists on Bangkok city roads by the Thai Ministry of Transport, but Kaewchalermtong will also evaluate the sustainability of Thailand’s M-Flow toll system.
Chao Phibal, deputy director general for Cambodia’s Ministry of Public Works & Transport will then provide an overview of the Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville Expressway – Cambodia’s first expressway, developed under a build-operate-transfer (BOT) contract. Philbal will evaluate the effectiveness of the BOT scheme; share details on the systems and technologies used to operate the expressway; and offer insight on the pricing policy and future direction of a possible expansion of the expressway.
A number of presentations will also be delivered by some of the world’s leading device and equipment suppliers, technology companies and mobility service providers. As lead partner of the conference, SkyToll will deliver two presentations. The first will see the company’s sales and solution consultant Joseph Chin explain how AI-powered electronic toll collection (ETC) could improve traffic congestion at toll plazas. Chin’s session will cover the integration of AI algorithms into front-end tolling equipment and back-office operations systems and outline how AI could enhance operational processes and reduce overhead costs.
The second SkyToll presentation will see Mária Mardzinová, manager for solutions innovations and architecture, discuss the role of interoperability in achieving barrier-free road-user charging and revenue growth. Mardzinová will explain why interoperability is a complex task that requires collaboration and coordination among multiple stakeholders; how interoperability allows for quicker passage through toll points, better traffic flow, fewer delays and lower emissions; and how interoperability can enhance usability and revenue collection for transportation infrastructure maintenance and development.
The topic of AI-driven tolling will be revisited when Boris Wagner, BU TSE head and BU Traffic TSE sales at Vitronic, will explain how the technology can be used to achieve a seamless transition from plaza to multi-lane free flow (MLFF). Wagner will do so by sharing best practices from Australia and Poland; showcasing state-of-the-art performance; and looking beyond tolling by exploring future applications.
More insight into MLFF tolling will be provided by Rizza B Latorre, vice president, business transportation office, Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation (MPTC), who will present MPTC’s roadmap toward the implementation of MLFF tolling on concession toll roads in the Philippines – a first for the country as MPTC looks to replace the current traditional toll barrier/gate set up with a state-of-the-art MLFF solution.
Meet our partners
Lead Partner
SkyToll has provided ITS solutions capable of analysing and directing traffic anywhere in the world since 2008. It has developed a unique solution that combines the advantages of satellite GNSS location technology, microwave DSRC technology for short distance communication, and mobile GSM technology, to communicate within mobile networks and apply it to motorways, expressways, first-class roads and lower-category roads. Since January 2010, SkyToll has operated Slovakia’s electronic toll system, which covers the largest road network in the EU. SkyToll also won the contract for building an electronic toll collection system for the Czech Republic and, with CzechToll, implemented the first generational replacement of toll systems in the world, changing from microwave to satellite technology. Then, in December 2021, SkyToll built and successfully launched a state-of-the-art electronic vignette system in Slovenia.
www.skytoll.comThought Leadership Partners
Vitronic is a world leader in machine vision. Its core competency in the traffic technology sector is the monitoring of vehicles. Vitronic’s tolling solutions help ensure that modern traffic infrastructure can continue to be funded in the long term. With more than 30 years of expertise in traffic technology, Vitronic is an ideal partner for toll operators and designs customised solutions on an international scale. For future mobility concepts, Vitronic is working on using existing traffic infrastructure to control and optimise traffic flows, as well as increasing road safety for particularly vulnerable road users.
www.vitronic.com
Far Eastern Electronic Toll Collection Co., Ltd. (FETC) was founded in 2004 and awarded a contract by the Taiwanese government to build and operate the electronic toll collection (ETC) system for the nationwide freeways. The company is responsible for the Taiwan ETC total solution, including front-end and back-end systems and business model, from planning, designing, building, testing, and operation. In early 2006, FETC launched single-lane free-flow (SLFF) ETC operation at 23 toll plazas before migrating to distance-based and multi-lane free-flow (MLFF) ETC on 30 December 2013. Currently, more than 7 million car users traverse 335 MLFF gantries generating more than 6 billion accumulated transactions. Taiwan’s ETC system not only enables the implementation of smart transportation services but also allows Taiwan to enter a new age of digitalisation and accelerate the realisation of AIoT.
https://www.fetc.net.tw/en/NGO Partner
Founded in 1978, Reason Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organisation in the USA that focuses on an array of policy issues, including transportation, where its research focuses on user fee funding and sensible financing of transportation projects, efficient project delivery, and competitive and customer-driven services that embrace technological innovations. Through practical and innovative approaches to complex problems, Reason seeks to change the way people think about issues and promote policies that allow and encourage individuals and voluntary institutions to flourish.
www.reason.org
- The most up-to-date agenda for Road User Charging Conference Asia Pacific 2023 is online at www.roaduserchargingconferenceasiapacific.com. For partnership enquiries, contact John Thornton at john.thornton@akabomedia.co.uk or by calling +44 (0)20 8037 1783 / Ross Sturley at ross.sturley@akabomedia.co.uk or by calling +44 (0)20 8037 1775. For speaking opportunities, contact Shelby Laviniere at shelby.laviniere@akabomedia.co.uk or by calling +44 (0)20 4574 2466. For delegate enquires, contact Kajal Ravalia at kajal.ravalia@akabomedia.co.uk or by calling +44 (0)20 8037 1777.
