A "non-stop" trip on freeways in east China's Yangtze River Delta will become available after the Electric Toll Collection (ETC) system is installed.

  When driving pass an ETC tollbooth on highways, a device at the tollbooth automatically reads the tag before letting go of the cars. [Photo: Oriental Morning Post]

ETC, allowing electric payment of highway tolls, substitutes workers who manually collect tolls at tollbooths, the Oriental Morning Post reports.

For all vehicles enrolled in the program, ETC equipment deducts money from the accounts of registered car owners electronically without requiring them to stop.

To use the ETC equipment, the car owner must obtain an electronic toll card and install an electronic tag in his or her car. When driving pass an ETC tollbooth on highways, a device at the tollbooth automatically reads the tag before letting go of the cars.

With the help of ETC, time needed for passing through a tollbooth can be reduced from 15 seconds to 3 seconds, said Cui Xiaolong, head of the Administration of Highway Network in Jiangsu province, part of the Yangtze River Delta, which is comprised of the triangle-shaped territory of Shanghai, southern Jiangsu province and northern Zhejiang Province.

Trial of ETC system has begun in Nanjing, the provincial capital of Jiangsu, in May this year, and installation of ETC facilities in the whole area is underway.

Meanwhile, the tolling system of the region will be upgraded to ensure compatibility within the municipality and the two provinces.

(CRI July 8, 2008)