Guess Who’s Coming to Town? Next‑Gen ERP Readers Are Near… If You’re Reading About Old Pictures
We’ve all scrolling through the internet’s vast junkyard of “future tech” for a second, right? Yesterday’s headlines caught our eye: “New Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) units in the works for 2024.” But hold up—those shiny gadgets you’re seeing online are actually misleading Photoshop, not the very real device you’ll eventually strap onto your dashboard.
What LTA Really Tells Us
- False Snapshots: Those blurry, stylized photos weren’t from the production line. LTA clarified they’re just illustrative examples—a photo study from 2016, not the final design.
- Testing Phase: They’re still “in the lab,” tinkering and fine‑tuning. The gear hasn’t been “finalised.”
- Unissued Study: It’s unclear how a 2016 study got leaked into the wild, especially since it never saw the light of day in the press.
What the Photos Lurk In Suggest…
The dangled “oblong devices” with tiny screens that show a future‑seeing sign and an imaginary cash balance are ultimate fan‑fiction of what the real machine might do:
- Display your transaction history—so you don’t drown in receipts.
- Show parking‑fee details—because why not keep your wallet happy?
- Maybe connect to Wi‑Fi and Bluetooth, turning your car into a nifty gadget that grabs the latest traffic alerts.
And maybe, just maybe, the board will do a deep‑throat selfie for Instagram when you pay that toll.
What’s Really Happening
The Straits Times reports that actual ERP in‑vehicle units will be replaced gradually starting next year. The first splash‑down will be free of charge—so you won’t have to tape your wallet to the ceiling.
Why the mix‑up? Anyone spotted these pics on MyCarForum.com or transportation Facebook groups like Roads.sg? That’s where the fictional photos found a home.
Bottom Line
If you’re hoping for the next generation ERP, think less “cool futuristic gadget” and more “still under the hood.” The real device, once tested and approved, will open a new chapter for Singapore drivers—zero charge on the first upgrade, hopefully! Until then, keep an eye on those images and don’t let them trick you into your parking mishaps.
<img alt="" data-caption="Images supposedly of the new display suggest a range of functions, including transaction history, parking fee information, and even Wi-Fi and Bluetooth capabilities.
Photo: Facebook/Roads.sg” data-entity-type=”file” data-entity-uuid=”39598b1a-89f3-4391-b0c8-1d65e3e6a6b9″ src=”/sites/default/files/inline-images/180619_functions_facebook.jpg”/>
Smartphone‑sized Future of F‑Cess?
Remember the 2016 buzz? Someone said we’d end up with a small‐scale gadget—think smaller than an iPhone, but bigger than a pocket‑watch—that could do three staggering things for drivers:
- give a heads‑up on toll roads before you even roll into the lane;
- tell you exactly how much you’ll owe in a blink;
- deliver live traffic updates faster than a traffic‑jam‑in‑a‑unicorn‑movie.
Fast‑forward to Monday, and the Land Transport Authority dropped a quick note: No major remix so far. The migration timeline, steps, and that 18‑month transition window are still on the original schedule they rolled out three years ago. Basically, they’re sticking to the plan—no magic alterations.
— Originally published in The Straits Times. Permission is required to reproduce the content.
