- Washington Senate Passes Bill Authorizing I-5 Bridge Tolling
- Kapsch Releases AI-Based Upgrade Of ANPR Software
- Officials Nationwide Aren't Effectively Combatting Sale And Use Of Illicit License Tags
- MTA Archival Photo Display Depicts Construction Of US Infrastructure Landmarks
- These are just some of the toll industry developments TRN is following.
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Washington Senate Passes Bill Authorizing I-5 Bridge Tolling
The Columbian reports, on Wednesday, the Washington State Senate passed a bill that conditionally authorizes tolling of the I-5 bridge across the Columbia River to generate revenue for its proposed replacement. SB 5765 passed by a vote of 32 to 16, and it will now undergo consideration by the House Transportation Committee. The measure permits Washington’s transportation commision to “enter into a bistate agreement with the Oregon state transportation commission regarding the mutual or joint setting, adjustment, and review of toll rates and exemptions. . . .” The article notes, “Tolling is expected to generate $1.2 billion of the bridge replacement program’s estimated $6 billion cost, with state and federal funds making up the rest.”
ETC Systems I-5 Bridge Replacement Program (ODOT & WSDOT) Oregon Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) Portland OR Metro Region Washington State Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT)Kapsch Releases AI-Based Upgrade Of ANPR Software
Kapsch TrafficCom announced a “major update” of its Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) software. “The latest release features a reworked architecture that includes various deep learning elements, resulting in a significant performance boost. With the new ANPR software, an artificial intelligence software was trained to accurately and reliably identify number plates with hundreds of thousands of images in a [manner compliant with the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)].” Kapsch’s Julia Azfar said the software upgrade was the product of a continuous improvement process that involves collaboration with partners and suppliers “to combine the latest technologies on the market with [Kapsch’s] own expertise in image processing and in artificial intelligence.” The new recognition software was trained through a process of manual image annotation. Kapsch obtained annotation workers in conjunction with its Vienna pilot project to introduce disadvantaged people to the job market or prepare them for new occupations.
(Editor’s Note: GDPR, a binding regulation rooted in EU privacy and of human rights law, regulates the electronic collection and use of personal data and protects individual rights of privacy and data control afforded residents of the EU and the European Economic Area.)
AET (All-Electronic Tolling) Austria Automated License Plate Recognition ETC Systems Information Technology Resources and Acquisitions Intelligent Transportation Systems Kapsch Transportation And Infrastructure Workforce IssuesOfficials Nationwide Aren't Effectively Combatting Sale And Use Of Illicit License Tags
Streetsblog NYC and New Jersey Monitor collaborated on a comprehensive three-part investigative series exploring the black market in fraudulent temporary license tags, with an emphasis on the illicit trade’s economic and public safety impacts in New York City. The series probably won’t get the attention it deserves, if the general, lackluster response to the problem by various state’s officials is anything to go by. (Note how many of reporter Jesse Coburn’s requests for agency information or official comment were ignored or declined.) Part 1 of the series focuses on the dealers in illegal licenses; Part 2 exposes “the network of warehouses and office buildings across Georgia and New Jersey” from which “enigmatic used car dealers” who sell temporary tags operate; Part 3, a roundup, looks at the buyers, how and why they use illegal licenses, and what New York City has done to combat its “ghost tag” problem. As if many millions in annual bridge and tunnel toll revenue losses were not enough to justify more nationwide action, the series reveals that the vehicle license black market has significant public safety and economic implications that lawmakers shouldn’t be neglecting.
Yesterday, The Philadelphia Inquirer editorial board called for more law enforcement, regulatory and legislative attention to the proliferation of “fake, obscured, or missing license plates” and the illegal conduct that their use conceals. “Local and state officials need a comprehensive strategy to end this trend and ensure public safety on multiple fronts,” the editors argued, citing specific common-sense measures that would curtail the distribution and use of illegal tags.
Crime Beat Delaware ETC Systems Georgia Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) New Jersey New York New York City Pennsylvania Philadelphia PA Metro Area Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ)MTA Archival Photo Display Depicts Construction Of US Infrastructure Landmarks
Untapped New York spotlights a collection of Metropolitan Transportation Authority archival photographs released to coincide with the 90th anniversary of MTA Bridges and Tunnels. The images depict the construction of iconic New York City infrastructure assets between the 1930s and 1960s.
Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) New Jersey New York New York CityThese are just some of the toll industry developments TRN is following.
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