Research Article
Garikayi Manjengwa, Desiree Ga
Abstract
Zimbabwe Government invests significant amount of money is to construct tollgates infrastructure along its major roads with the intention of generating road maintenance revenue. This research exploits the use of Geo-Fencing (G-F) with the aid of GPS systems to create cheap infrastructure-less tolling system that is more efficient compared to the current ZINARA tolling system. The city geographical boundaries generate a digital G-F around it. The coordinates of the G-F that intersect with the road network on the digital map thus become the virtual toll points (tolling points). Vehicles equipped with active GPS systems linked to a toll-fee account, constantly communicates with the control centre, relaying real-time vehicle coordinates to the servers. Billing is affected every time a vehicle crosses the tolling point. Successful model functionality of the infrastructure-less tollgate system is presented and developed using Arduino micro-controllers and a modified GPS map-matching algorithm. The successful prototype functionality presented is proof of concept that reveals significant cost saving in improved tollgate system implementation, which enables an increased traffic flow rate, reduction in traffic delays and system scalability.