Inauguration of the freeway “Superstrada Pedemontana Veneta (SPV)” (Italy)

The first section of the road infrastructure that runs between the A31 Valdastico and Breganze was inaugurated on Monday, June 3, where Tecsidel implemented the toll system in 3 levels (via, plaza and backoffice) interoperable system and interconnection with the national network of highways. The opening of the SPV is a strategic work for the reactivation of the Italian northeast.

The Pedemontana Veneta Superstrada is a 94.6 km toll road plus 68.3 km regional routes in the Veneto region of northeastern Italy. The SPV is designed to increase accessibility to the municipalities of the area and to improve the traffic conditions in the national, regional and local network. This toll road connects 34 municipalities, as well as the main industrial areas of Vicenza and Treviso.

Tecsidel supplies the TOLL+ system, manual ways, automatic routes with ATPM and telepass tracks and the intelligent management system of the ITS + highway integrating all the peripherals installed along the route including the tunnels  (such as variable message panels, SOS post, CCTV video system, weather stations, etc).

This first segment allows access to the Bassano area from the A31 motorway without crossing the center of Dueville (Vicenza), freeing up the traffic area and saving between 20 and 30 minutes on local roads, which also significantly reduces the inflow of gases of escape in the atmosphere.

At the inauguration held in the Valdastico toll plaza were the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior, Matteo Salvini, accompanied by the Governor of Veneto, Luca Zaia, the Ministers of the Republic, Erika Stefani and Lorenzo Fontana, the deputies of Vicenza, Erik Pretto and Silvia Covolo, different regional councilors, the newly elected deputy Veronese, Paolo Borchia, and dozens of representatives of the institutions.

The inaugurated section is the first to be completed, the deadline for the completion of the 2020 work. The SPV is the one with the largest infrastructure works, with ordinary administration, in Italy today and Tecsidel is part of that ambitious project.

 



Tecsidel present at the inauguration of the new Paseo del Bajo in Buenos Aires (Argentina)

The Paseo del Bajo has been inaugurated in the City of Buenos Aires, a mega work where Tecsidel was part. It is a road corridor of 7.1 kilometers that connects the south and north of the city in an agile way, creating at the same time new green spaces and recreation for the neighbors.

It consists of a highway without barriers only for trucks and long-distance buses modifying the way of moving in the whole area. It has parts in viaduct and others that run in trench.

Thanks to the "Free Flow" electronic reading gantries of Tecsidel, smart charging is implemented by eliminating barriers and toll booths. They are equipped with RFID antennas, intelligent vehicle classification system and electronic toll collection cameras and license plates that send all data to the Back Office allowing automatic collection.

Implementing the Free Flow toll system reduces infrastructure costs, ensures reliable operation without risk of fraud, increases traffic mobility, reduces congestion and pollution, improves road safety and increases user comfort.

The new corridor improves the circulation of more than 25,000 vehicles per day and its exclusive truck lanes allow faster transit to the port's direct accesses. The route where before it took 20 minutes, now is covered in 7.

It is very gratifying for Tecsidel to see a milestone fulfilled by working in a work of such transcendence for a city as active as Buenos Aires (Argentina).



The final phase of the Pativilca-Trujillo project in Peru

By request of the company Autopista del Norte, Tecsidel began the last phase of the Toll System implementation in Red Vial 4: Pativilca-Trujillo, located in Panamericana Norte, in the northern coast of Peru. This phase consists of the supply, installation, commissioning and maintenance of the toll collection system at the Fortaleza and Huarmey plazas.

It includes a total of 12 lanes, 6 per toll plaza. The manual toll collection system will be installed in the lane (level 1), integrating it with the existing plaza system (level 2) and back office (level 3). Considering the addition of the plazas of the first phase (Virú and Vesique), the project will be completed with the commissioning of a total of 4 plazas and 23 lanes.

The company Autopista del Norte is the concessionaire responsible for the construction, operation and maintenance of the Pativilca-Trujillo highway. The scope of this project has a length of 396.21 km and longitudinally connects the Lima, Ancash and La Libertad regions. For more information: www.aunor.pe.

 

Tecsidel will Implement the first Multi-Lane Free Flow Toll system in Argentina

For the first time in the country, the Multi-lane Free Flow electronic toll will reach Buenos Aires through the ‘Paseo del Bajo’ project, with the collaboration of the state company Autopistas Urbanas S.A. (AUSA). The implementation and commissioning of this toll system was awarded to Tecsidel.

This electronic toll system, commonly called Multi-Lane Free Flow (MLFF), manages the collection automatically without the vehicle having to stop at the plaza. Today, it is the smartest solution for urban environments where toll collection is aimed at reducing congestion.

For this important MLFF project, the ‘Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires y Nación’, with the support of the Andean Development Corporation (CAF), was involved in the important construction of Paseo del Bajo that connect the highways of Buenos Aires-La Plata and Illia along 7Km of highway.

Tecsidel's Free Flow toll system is capable of automatically detecting, identifying and classifying vehicles with the corresponding collection fee without affecting the highway flow or access to the city. With this state-of-the-art solution, the benefits are evident. It reduces infrastructure costs (civil works and constructions) and ensures a reliable operation without fraud, increases traffic mobility by greatly reducing congestion and pollution, and improves road safety and user comfort.

For this project, the company will install several trunk gantries along the highway and trench, and at the Sarmiento and Salguero access points. Each one of them will be equipped with the following elements:

- Antennas for the OBU reading

- Automatic Vehicle Classification (AVC)

- Recognition of front and back plates (ALPR)

- Cameras for video-audit

For more information: http://revistavial.com/llega-el-primer-peaje-de-multi-lane-free-flow-a-argentina/

 

The latest solution for Toll Evasion Control

All toll systems have one common goal, to avoid fraudulent activity and achieve secure transactions at both internal and external level. One example of possible fraud is the so called toll evasion.

Evasive vehicles are those that do not complete toll payments. Over the past few years, there has been a significant increase in the number of evasive vehicles. Despite it being a serious violation in any traffic code, many drivers continue committing this type of fraudulent activity, putting other drivers and workers at risk and generating a substantial financial loss for the concessionaires.

Tecsidel has a wide experience in projects carried out in 4 continents and toll evasion is one of the primary concerns that concessionaires face. Brazil, with more than 20.000 km of highways concessions is one of the most interesting case studies. Tecsidel has been working for more than 15 years for 25 Brazilian concessions implementing its Stop&Go toll solutions (manual, automatic and mixed lanes).

In 2014, almost 2 million toll evasion offenses were registered on Brazilian roads, representing a big economical damage for concessionaires and resulting in a negative effect on work investments and user security. In 2015, the DENATRAN (National Traffic Department) started to invest in automatic equipment in the hopes of controlling and monitoring vehicles committing frauds.

Tecsidel team, analyzing the matter and collaborating with the relevant authority, wanted to extend its knowledge to help tackle the issue. The solution studied consists of an advanced registration system  that integrated with Tecsidel toll system, allows the appropriate authority to carry out the necessary assessments for monitoring toll evasion violations, and gives the key to persecute toll violators.

In the case that the toll transition is considered toll violation (vehicle not stopping at the gate with no TAG, black listed or negative balance TAG), the system automatically generates the relevant report and sends its corresponding details to the appropriate authority  informing them accordingly.

This high-technology detection system is comprised of an OCR front camera to register the plate, an optional back camera, a panoramic camera to show context (including the state of the stoplight), and a local processing unit. The camera can also record a video. All hardware and software features are integrated in a Tecsidel software application.

The software application is capable of analyzing the infraction in the different stages (lane, plaza, CCA, & staff) and may issue automatically fines to those involved. The information that the system provides has extremely high performances, being 100% reliable and includes the following indicators:

  • Daily records

  • Timestamps of the toll evasion incidents

  • Identification of the most frequent offenders

  • Current state of TAGs by the toll plaza

  • Electronic Payment company


In 2018, Tecsidel implemented this cutting-edge evasion solution for the first time in 20 lanes in the Planalto Sul highway (Brazil), which is managed by Arteris. The concessionaire Viapaulista will also implement the system in 66 lanes along the state highway in Ribeirão Preto/São Paulo, Brasil.

Moreover, to further increase the security, speed, and convenience for the users in the toll collections in Brazil, Tecsidel is launching a state-of-the-art solution called GToll, which allows users to make toll payments through the mobile application, card, or sensible bracelet that makes use of a validation technology by means of Near Field Communication (NFC). This technology works on wireless communication and through the exchange of data between two devices that are located at a distance of less than 20cm from each other.

The entire process, from the toll payment to the validation at the plaza, is very practical and intuitive. By means of their smartphones, users can download and install the GToll application, which may be used to make payments, as well as validations in the toll booth with semi-automatic systems.

Nowadays, it is undeniable that smartphones and unlimited access to internet connection have shaped users´ consumer behavior and habits along with many other things, and toll systems are no exception.

 

EPREIMUS, the reliable solution for ANPR

To this day, the Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) process is still faced with a series of existing software limitations, including the incapability of reaching a 100% success rate. The reliability of the software decreases substantially due to the lack of standardization in the structure of license plates and the intervention of certain elements that disrupt the successful capture of the plate´s images, a process that mainly relies on latitude.

Extreme latitudes are considered as the main contributors to this obstruction. Exceedingly high temperatures may cause the optical sensors to expand while exceptionally low temperatures may cause them to condense. For this reason, thermostatic systems that make the necessary adjustments to the given temperatures are being incorporated to combat this problem.

Tecsidel holds many references in Norway and Brazil, 2 countries that serve as great examples to represent these difficulties:

  • Norway: Extreme climate conditions below -30ºC, in addition to the existence of a variation in the types of license plates. 10% of the license plates are green, resulting in a 50% success rate. Consequently, this accounts for a 90-93% reliability rate. Furthermore, the sun holds a relatively low position in relation to the horizon in countries in this latitude, thus making it more difficult to register the license plates due to light refractions.

  • Brazil: License plates are smaller and vary in form and color, with green being the predominant color. In this case, however, the problem is made worse by the density of traffic at access points in the city. With regards to the meteorological aspect, Brazil is faced with extreme climate conditions as well, but in the opposite sense. The country reaches temperatures of over 30ºC,


Tecsidel´s goal lies mainly in increasing the reliability of the automatic capturing of license plate images in 2 points. The first being to overcome the intrinsic difficulties the camera faces when detecting the vehicle and capturing its image, while the second lies in addressing issues regarding the structure, state, and location of the license plates. Keeping in mind the fact that nowadays a global standardization of license plates would be considered utopia, Tecsidel´s study covers 2 important topics:

On one hand, even though cameras evolve along with the technology of the sensors, limitations still exist with regards to its sensitivity (when detecting shadows), reliability, energy consumption, and response time. As a result, Tecsidel makes sure to consider these constraints when selecting the cameras to be used in their projects. The sensors of the latest generation cameras use the Active Pixel Sensor (APS), which presents better signal and resolution than that of the Charged Coupled Devices (CCD) thanks to its effective control of brightness and contrast.

On the other hand, another very important element that directly influences the reliability of the ANPR that we should pay more attention to is the Optical Character Recognition (OCR), a software that is usually integrated into the ANPR cameras.

The Tecsidel team possesses a profound knowledge of the technology of cameras and its performance capabilities. However, above all, it consists of a deep understanding of the proper ways of processing images before, during, and after the OCR. These algorithms will ultimately allow us to obtain a reliability that is exponentially higher than what we are seeing today.

With its new R+D project called EPREIMUS (Enhanced and Automatic Number Plate Recognition and Environmental Impact Measurements on Urban Spaces), Tecsidel proposes a solution based on the aggregate made up of different OCR motors that carry out their functions close by to the different cameras. The new algorithms that make use of the previously mentioned OCR motors and cameras will facilitate the possibility of comparing the obtained images with greater definition and with the application of the OCRs, obtaining more trustworthy results.

These algorithms, improved by Tecsidel, include mechanisms of Artificial Intelligence, such as Machine Learning (algorithms that review millions of data, identify patterns, and predict future behavior) and Deep Learning (algorithms that are capable of shaping high-level abstractions and drawing conclusions regarding the semantics embedded in the data).

Tecsidel is expecting to see results of the EPREIMUS project next year.

 

Tecsidel completes the first phase of the ‘Pativilca-Trujillo’ project in Peru

By order of Autopista del Norte, who is the concessionaire of the road network 4: ‘Pativilca-Trujillo’, Tecsidel completed the first phase of the implementation of its new toll system in the plazas located at km 402 and 525 of the ‘Panamericana Norte’, in Peru.

These plazas have a total of 11 lanes, 2 reversible and 4 prepared for electronic toll collection (ETC). From now on they will have Tecsidel toll system installed in the lane (level 1), integrated with the current systems of the plaza (level 2) and back office (level 3), thus forming a modular system compatible with any other level 2 system.

Furthermore, Tecsidel implemented RFID technology in the 4 electronic toll lanes, which hugely improves traffic flow.

Autopista del Norte is the company responsible for the construction, maintenance and conservation of the road network 4: ‘Pativilca-Trujillo’. This highway is 356 km long and strategically connects the departments of Lima, Ancash and Trujillo. For this year, the implementation of this new system in its toll plazas located in ‘Fortaleza’ and ‘Huarmey’ is already planned, both containing 6 manual lanes.

Intertraffic Amsterdam 2018, breaking records

Intertraffic Amsterdam was held from 20th to 23rd of March 2018 at RAI Amsterdam. It is the leading exhibition in the traffic and mobility industry since 1972 and this year it broke attendance records again. More than 30,000 professionals in infrastructure, traffic management, smart mobility, security and parking attended this highly expected event to learn about the latest innovations from leading companies in these fields.

Intertraffic Amsterdam 2018 counted on the participation of more than 800 exhibitors. Tecsidel participated for the third time to show its efficient solutions for toll and ITS systems. On this occasion, Tecsidel presented two of its state-of-the-art solutions: its Maintenance Management System (TMMS +) and its Electronic Payment Management System (MPE).

TMMS+ solution is the Tecsidel system for managing maintenance tasks that must be carried out on the assets comprising of an installation, the purpose of which is to reduce time, logistics and, therefore, costs. MEP is the system that enables the management of electronic payment devices (TAGs), associated with user accounts.

Tecsidel staff attended to people from all continents, especially new visitors from Asia and Africa. Both continents are very interested in this industry because a lot of countries are making big investments in developing new infrastructures for big and strategic cities.

Intertraffic Amsterdam fair has become the best opportunity for visitors to discover the latest market trends. The next edition will be held in 2020 and Tecsidel will participate again.

Maintenance, the new challenge

Over the past years, toll and ITS solutions implemented brand new technological features for a new challenging toll collection and for increasing road safety; however, maintenance as a smart and sensible system solution has not been always taken into account. Maintenance management has become a key point for concessionaires, since toll & ITS operations involve time, logistics and costs. Tecsidel new challenge is Tecsidel Maintenance Management System Plus (TMMS+), in order to reduce time and costs, improving logistic without affecting the efficiency of each operation. TMMS + has been specifically designed for maintenance management of Tolling and ITS applications.

TMMS+ is a Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) for the management of concessionaires’ maintenance operations and assets, tangible as sites and equipment or intangible as software tools for tolling or ITS. Major assets are equipment, such as tolling staff, ITS staff or hardware-software applications.

The main purpose of this computerised system is to obtain the maximum effectiveness in terms of time and logistics at works performed by maintenance ground staff. TMMS+ can assist maintenance staff defining which devices (based on a sophisticated algorithm) need preventive or corrective maintenance;  once work order is created the application addresses to the closest warehouses containing the spare parts or t tool needed. Thanks to the Geo-Location module of the system, it is possible to know the exact location of all assets and visualize them on a referenced map, reducing time needed to detect and solve  incidences.

TMMS+ is one of the most complete solution in the marketplace and it is composed of five management categories: corrective, preventive, predictive maintenance, asset and supply management. Each asset or supply comes with previous information for its identification, for instance: technical documentation, plans, metrics, purchases, guarantees, suppliers, stock, associated work orders.  Information that can be extended as much as the concessionaire requires.

The leading TMMS + solution is composed of the following modules:

  • Data Master

  • Work Orders

  • Asset Management and Geo-location

  • Supply Management

  • Installation Monitoring

  • Report Management

  • User Management


Data Master main module establishes the structure to follow, that is why it requires a clear definition of the main tasks and elements, although TMMS + is 100% configurable by the user and more tasks and elements can be added afterwards, depending on the concessionaire’s needs.

One of the TMMS+ key issues is creation, tracking and completing of work orders. For each work order, there will be a clear definition of the asset targeted for intervention, the task to be performed, the assigned operators, the materials to be consumed, and the necessary machinery, tools and vehicles to be used with the possibility to set the time required for each task and units to be consumed.

"Work orders" functionality module allows creating, tracking and completing all orders (automatically or manually), as well as updating the current activity carried out and the current time consumption and resources. In addition, a report can be obtained with the repair activities carried out.

The reports created by TMMS + are designed to give valuable information to the user. Thanks to these reports, the concessionaire is able to follow key details such as the resources and time required to maintain a specific asset, assets with most maintenance, total time spent on maintenance. Key details are configurable. All  information is paramount for decision taking. All reports are exportable to Excel or PDF formats, this allows making easier the integration with market ERP.

Furthermore, TMMS + system includes a mobile application that allows operators or maintenance personnel deployed in the field (toll plazas, roads, tunnels, bridges) to receive assigned work orders and to complete them while the work is being carried out, by means of a mobile terminal that automatically communicates with the Control Centre.

The functionalities of this state-of-the-art solution are:

  • Corrective Management: Creation of work orders when detecting an asset failure.

  • Preventive Management: Daily, weekly, monthly and annual programs of work orders to be executed in the future in order to review an asset status.

  • Predictive Management: Generation of automatic alarms by setting some metrics or limits of any real-time record related to an asset.

  • Ticketing: Ticket management system with tracking and status control.

  • Asset Management with Geo-location: Assets can be located in their exact position on a geographic map, by means of a customizable iconography (asset is represented by an icon with summary information and a balloon with detailed information).

  • Management of spare parts and materials with location.

  • Tracking of Guarantees.

  • List of suppliers.

  • Purchasing history.

  • Users and Profiles Management.

  • General and detailed reports and Historical Reports of Activities, Dedication, Consumption, etc.


TMMS + can be organized in different application environments, according to the features and concession needs: ITS / Tolling, Electrical Equipment / Infrastructures, A Branch / B Branch, etc. The TMMS + application can be organized in different concessionaires, each one will have its own masters, assets, supplies, users and independent maintenance management.

TMMS+ offers the ability to monitor vital system components that can generate automatic alarms and events. These components may include:

  • ITS Systems Equipment: Traffic Lights, Variable Message Signs (VMS), Lane Controls Sign (LCS) Incident Automatic Detection (IAD), Ventilation, traffic counters (ATCC), Lighting, all electro mechanic tunnel systems, etc.

  • Toll Systems Equipment: Lasers, Barriers, Antennas, Treadles, Loops, OCR, Automatic Payment Machines, control cabinets, etc

  • Hardware-Software applications: Memory usage, CPU, disk space availability, server performance, database efficiency, etc.


Thanks to the integration with an external monitoring tool, the system allows monitoring and notifications for alarms and events, generated by devices via SNMP messaging. TMMS + provides an open web-based interface for receiving and managing Alarm / Event messages configured on the system. This external tool is a completely Open Source Network Monitoring System, with tracking capabilities of status, faults, performances and variable SLAs of the different computers connected to the network.

Tecsidel offers a comprehensive 24/7 support to the system that allows treating anomalies with the greatest possible agility, by having a technical staff of different profiles and levels available all the time and making a remote real-time monitoring of all the system applications supporting operations. TMMS+ is 100% customizable, allowing configuration of all parameters and evolving according to the concessionaire needs.

Tecsidel will be exhibitor at Intertraffic Amsterdam 2018

Intertraffic Amsterdam is the leading exhibition for the traffic and mobility industry since 1972. This year it will be held at RAI Amsterdam (The Netherlands) from 20 to 23 March 2018, and will count on 800 exhibitors, including Tecsidel. More than 30.000 professionals in infrastructure, traffic management, smart mobility, safety and parking will attend this expected event to do business and get up to speed with the latest trends & developments in these fields.

Tecsidel will participate in Intertraffic Amsterdam for the third time to show its efficient solutions for Toll systems and ITS. It is the best opportunity for visitors to discover innovations from the leading companies. In this occasion, Tecsidel will also introduce two state-of-the-art solutions: Tecsidel Maintenance Management System (TMMS+) and its system for Electronic Payments Management (MEP). Click here for more information about this latest solution: http://www.tecsidel.es/en/press-room/technical-articles/articles-tolls/1476-mep-the-future-of-electronic-toll-collection

Furthermore, visitors will be able to learn from experts and update their knowledge during inspiring educational seminars. Doors will open from 10am to 5pm, except Friday from 10am to 4pm, and Tecsidel will attend all customers and visitors at stand number 12.314.

The visitor registration is free of charge up to and including 12 March 2018: https://registration.n200.com/survey/3apn91qiasfm2