Despite failing to meet several deadlines over three years, the Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport says plans to roll out its Intelligent Number Plate (INP) system are on track.
The R32m 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.
Preparations for the rollout began in December and the manufacturing process is set to begin in February 2010, says the department.
The new number plate system will replace the current system that is expected to have exhausted its number series by the end of October 2010. 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... The system is also expected to improve the effectiveness of number plate policing, monitor the manufacture of number plates and improve collection of revenue due to improved vehicle identification,” says Gauteng MEC Bheki Nkosi.
Increasing costs
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 the 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.
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