About 1,000 motorists to experience full range of ERP2 on-board unit features as part of study
LTA will also be testing five different combinations of road signs and markings across four expressways and an arterial road from Jun 1 to Jul 31 as visual cues for ERP charging locations.
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SINGAPORE: Ahead of the introduction of Singapore's new Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) system, ERP2, about 1,000 motorists will experience the full range of ERP2 on-board unit (OBU) features as part of a study, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) announced on Tuesday (May 12).
The two-phase user experience study, which began in March, also involves the trialling of new road signs and markings as indicators of ERP charging locations.
On Jan 1, 2027, Singapore will switch to the ERP2 system, which leverages global navigation satellite system (GNSS) technology.
Under the new system, the OBU detects when a vehicle passes an ERP charging location and calculates the applicable ERP charges, eliminating the need for physical gantries on the roads.
LTA said on Tuesday it is partnering with the Automobile Association of Singapore, Singapore Road Safety Council and other stakeholders from the motoring community to invite about 1,000 motorists to participate in the second phase of the study, which will run from Jun 1 to Jul 31.
The motorists will "experience the full suite of upcoming OBU functionalities", including more ERP-related notifications and automatic payment of checkpoint tolls, said LTA. They will also be able to use the OBU's touchscreen display for roadside parking payments.
As physical ERP gantries will no longer serve as markers of ERP charging locations under the upcoming system, the study's second phase will also see LTA testing the effectiveness of new road signs and markings as visual cues for ERP charging locations along or near expressways.
"The new signs and markings will complement OBU alerts, which will notify motorists in advance of ERP charge locations, provide information on prevailing ERP charges and indicate the amount charged within the location," said LTA.
ERP ROAD SIGN AND MARKINGS TESTS TO BE EXPANDED
During the first phase of the study, LTA tested ERP road markings and signs along Bayshore Drive. The markings included blue oval "E" symbols and a 25m stretch of road painted in blue.
Skid resistance tests were conducted on the road markings to ensure that the surfaces of the road markings met standards required for safe road surfaces, while the signs and markings were also tested for visibility.
"LTA has refined the designs of the ERP road signs and markings for the second phase of the study, taking into account feedback from the first phase,” it said.
LTA added that it will test five different combinations of ERP road signs and markings across four expressways and an arterial road from Jun 1 to Jul 31.
The westbound PIE section after Kallang Bahru on Woodsville Flyover will have a blue oval ERP symbol painted on each of its five lanes to indicate the start of the ERP charging location.
The westbound PIE section before Eunos Link will also feature the oval blue ERP symbols on its four lanes.
The southbound CTE section from Serangoon Road will have a 25m stretch of its two lanes painted blue.
A section of Marina Boulevard towards the eastbound MCE will also have a blue 25m stretch on its two lanes, but with the addition of "ERP" painted in white in the centre of each lane.
The section of the city-bound AYE after Jurong Town Hall Road will have 25m blue lines painted on its sides, as well as "ERP" painted in white in the centre of each of its four lanes. The lane dividers between the blue lines will also be blue rather than white.
The westbound PIE section after Kallang Bahru on Woodsville Flyover and the southbound CTE section from Serangoon Road will have signage that features an "R" and the words "ERP Charge Zone". The remaining sections will have signage simply saying "ERP Charge Zone".
LTA said the selected locations are existing ERP charging locations which represent a range of traffic and road conditions.
"This will enable comprehensive testing across different scenarios," said LTA.
"The findings from the study will guide the development of clear and intuitive visual cues to support a smooth transition to the gantry-less ERP2 system when it is implemented from Jan 1, 2027."
Motorists who are not participating in the OBU aspect of the study can still provide feedback on the trial road signs and markings to LTA via email at LTA_Pilot_GNSS [at] lta.gov.sg (LTA_Pilot_GNSS[at]lta[dot]gov[dot]sg) by Jul 31, the authority said.
As all ERP charging will be done via GNSS from Jan 1, 2027, the finalised new signs and markings from the study will serve as cues for motorists on charging points.
Acting Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow said earlier this year that more cars could be allowed in Singapore in future, following improvements in traffic management using data from the ERP2 system.
"As we get better at doing so, it may well be feasible to create more capacity on our roads without taking up more land," he told parliament in February. "Potentially, this can allow us to have some future growth in our car population."
Mr Siow also noted that distance-based charging is an option with ERP2, though he said the authorities would have to study this further, as there are many trade-offs involved.
LTA said on Tuesday there will be "no change to the current congestion pricing framework for now".
It added that to date, more than 96 per cent of Singapore-registered vehicles have been fitted with ERP2 OBUs.
