Another delay for intelligent plates?

After failing to roll-out the intelligent number plate (INP) system in April, it is now unclear whether the Department of Roads and Transport (DRT) will meet its new October deadline.

During her state of the province address, Gauteng premier Nomvula Mokonyane committed to the introduction of the INP system in October.

Roads and transport minister Bheki Nkosi stuck to this deadline in his Gauteng DRT budget speech for the financial year 2010/11.

“In October, the department will launch the intelligent number plate system,” he said. “The department has set aside R25 million for this project in this financial year. The process has gone past the drafting of regulations where motorists in the province participated in giving their inputs and comments, which have shaped the entire process thus far.”

The optimism for this deadline is not shared by Neil Campbell, Democratic Alliance spokesman for roads and transport in the Gauteng Legislature. “The MEC is obviously being pressurised so he is adamant it will be ready, but I think he is optimistic.” Campbell adds that this delay, in turn, contributes to the delay of the e-tolling system.

The manufacturing process of INPs was supposed to begin in February, but Campbell says there is still no sign of this. “I have seen prototypes with the blank chipped and bar-coded plate embossed with numbers, but I have not seen any plates other than prototypes.”

Despite ITWeb submitting several queries to the DRT about the manufacturing process, there has been no response from the department.

Campbell adds that several factors are contributing to the delay in rolling out this system. He explains that the creation of certain essential offices within Gauteng's DRT and inadequate liaison with traffic police, highway monitors and toll legislation are some of these factors. Campbell also raises the fact that no tenders have been issued.

The minister says a task team of department officials and other stakeholders has been appointed to work on the specifications of the tender process in appointing a competent service provider for the project. “We will allow the market to determine the price of the plates and are convinced it will be a price affordable to all motorists.”

Nkosi said the reason for the delay was the funding of the Confederation Cup, which was not budgeted for and led to over-commitment by the department. “This resulted in accruals due to poor management capacity that existed in the department.”

The DRT has missed several deadlines over the past three years in trying to roll out the INP system.

The project was initiated in 2006, with full-scale implementation scheduled for 1 January 2008. It was, however, postponed to January 2009 and later to April 2010. When this deadline could not be met, it was postponed to October.

Again, Campbell says there are several contributing factors to these missed deadlines. “The problem was getting a readable chip. When this was identified, it required a metal backing plate as a crude 'satellite' dish to pick up the disc. Other delays were a lack of legislation - now promulgated and getting sufficient traders to buy new metal embossing machines - a substantial investment for many.”

The new number plate system will replace the current system that is expected to have exhausted its number series by the end of October. The project is scheduled to run for four years, and is intended to be complete by November 2013.

The electronic number plate system will place a number validation label on the rear window of vehicles, along with a bar code that traffic authorities will be able to scan. Number plate manufacturers will also have to be accredited and plates bolted onto vehicles with tamper-proof screws to prevent fraud.

“The new system is part of a smart crime-fighting initiative aimed at putting an end to the duplication of number plates frequently used in motor vehicle theft and other illegal practices. The INP system will make it possible to undertake a roll call of all vehicles in Gauteng to ensure all are properly registered and licensed, as well as assist in improving revenue collection due to improved vehicle identification,” says the DRT.

All plates will be aluminium and will also have an RFID tag that contains a unique identification code programmed into a 2D bar code. The unique code will be used in the encryption of the tag and will contain a secure electronic mark.

This mark will act as a digital signature and will certify the numbers on the plate, the vehicle it was issued to, and if they were issued by a registered manufacturer.

The system will also have to integrate with the Gauteng proprietary portion of eNatis, Gautis, to provide notification of any offences. Each vehicle owner will be required to produce their personal identification and vehicle identification documents when ordering the new number plate from the accredited manufacturers.

The number plates are projected to cost an additional R50 to the current cost of purchasing a set. The department says prices will range from R150 to R170, depending on the supply-demand market transactions, but that costs will be closely monitored to protect motorists from inflated pricing.