Queensland Motorways moves to free-flow tolling system

Queensland Motorways has moved from an e-toll system to a free-flow project two years prior to its planned delivery date, in a project described as a ‘redefinition’ of the organisation.

CIO of Queensland Motorways, Susan Caelers, addressed the World Computing Congress in Brisbane and said the project was one of accelerated delivery.

“The project was completed in July 2009; two years earlier than envisaged. We needed to come up with some strategies for delivering that project effectively,” Caelers said.

The company, which is responsible for delivering key infrastructure and toll operated roads in Queensland, undertook the project in an effort to reduce congestion and prevent further injuries on Brisbane’s Gateway and Logan motorways.

“We had a toll collector that was sadly killed at the toll station because I believe someone ran a car into his booth. It was a very dangerous situation for customers, motorists and employees,” she said.

Caelers said all legacy systems were replaced in a massive technological overhaul.

“Our technology strategy was very simple, so our technology staff had gone from legacy systems to tier one systems – it was a huge learning curve,” she said.

Selecting the right providers was top-of-mind for Caelers, who partnered with QML which oversaw the project schedule, and IBM which provided the central business delivery.

“We had to choose technology, vendors and partners that would deliver. I was project director but it was important to get the right people to work on the variety of areas of the project,” she said.

Next on Queensland Motorway’s agenda is launching an intelligence transport system and a joint project with the Queensland University of Technology.

“The free-flow tolling project was the start of it, and an intelligent transport system project and variable speed signs are the next steps,” she said.

“We are continuing the journey and have been instrumental in establishing a transport centre of excellence that will be set up at QUT as a partnership between the University, the Brisbane City Council, Translink and industry partners. From this we’re going to be working on modelling simulation based on transport solutions.”