Smart cards are being fitted to every vehicle in a series of draconian road-pricing measures designed to keep the island’s traffic moving.
There is already a tax surcharge on older vehicles because they are more likely to break down. Now, car drivers will also have to pay tolls on certain roads….
A cash-card unit is fitted free of charge to one side of the windscreen. As the vehicle passes underneath overhead gantries fitted with sensors, the charge is deducted automatically.
If there is insufficient credit on a card, a camera on the gantry photographs the owner who is then fined.
Source: BBC News Online Tuesday, April 14, 1998
