Nearly 200 million users of electronic devices can pass quickly through tolls

The popularization of the automatic payment service nationwide will greatly improve the efficiency of road transport during this year's Spring Festival travel rush, the country's transportation authority said on Friday.

The country has more than 197 million electronic toll collection (ETC) users, an addition of 120 million from last year, said Wu Dejin, director of the highway department of the Ministry of Transport.

The change is expected to facilitate travelers who drive home on freeways during the upcoming 40-day Spring Festival travel rush starting Jan 10, a period when some 2.43 billion road trips are expected.

The service enables drivers to automatically pay tolls without stopping, which will reduce emissions and logistics costs and relieve traffic congestion, he said.

Ministry statistics show that a vehicle with an ETC device only needs 3 seconds to pass a toll booth, compared with 14 seconds for a manned booth.

However, the service triggered controversy recently after a few local transport authorities removed all staffed toll booths on freeways, inconveniencing drivers without ETC devices.

The local authorities made such moves to meet a target set earlier this year when the ministry issued a circular saying that it aimed to install at least 190 million ETC devices by year-end, but only some 80 million drivers had signed up for electronic toll collection by March.

In Tianjin, all staffed toll booths at its six provincial borders were closed to force drivers to install the devices. In Xiamen, Fujian province, banners were hung saying "Drivers without ETC are not welcome on the freeway", which were later taken down after being criticized.

Wu said that it's forbidden to force drivers to install ETC devices or set up obstacles for drivers without ETC.

"We will make sure there are lanes with staff to collect tolls at every toll station," he said.

China has modified 487 physical tollgates on provincial borders into ones that can offer the ETC service and has 48,211 lanes for ETC service so far, according to the ministry.

During the Spring Festival travel rush, manned booths will still be available for drivers without ETC devices to guarantee a smooth and satisfactory travel experience for them, Wu added.

Yang Xinzheng, an expert at the China Academy of Transportation Sciences, said in-vehicle ETC devices collect data on route choices and emergency brake usage, which can help to predict traffic patterns and possible accidents.

"They are a crucial part of connecting vehicles and road infrastructure in a smart traffic management system, and it plays an important role in pushing forward a national intelligent transport system for connected cars," he added.