PUBLISHED ONJune 15, 2026 10:00 AMBYDesmond NgSoon, motorists will no longer need to rely on physical ERP gantries, with their removal set to begin later this year.
What this means is that they will see either blue markings or symbols on the roads showing where ERP charges apply — a major change after almost 30 years of physical gantries.
The current physical gantries, said the Land Transport Authority (LTA), will be progressively removed from later this year.
Under the new ERP 2 system — on track for implementation on Jan 1, 2027 — the On-Board Unit (OBU) detects when a vehicle passes an ERP charging location and calculates the applicable ERP charges.
This is made possible by the LTA's ERP 2 OBU, which leverages Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) technology.
To get a sense of the proposed five ERP 2 road signs and markings, AsiaOne took part in a trial of the new ERP 2 system with 1,000 motorists in June, 2026.
They will also be asked to provide feedback about the effectiveness, as well as their experience on upcoming OBU features, such as paying for roadside parking via the OBU.
For starters, those proposed road markings include oval blue symbols with "ERP" letters, a 25m stretch of road painted in blue and a 25m line painted in blue at the sides of the road, all of which are being tested across five expressways and roads from June onwards.
This latest trial is the second phase of a study to find out users' experience of these visual cues, after an earlier one conducted along Bayshore Drive in March.
The five selected spots are near existing ERP gantries, and they represent a range of traffic and road conditions, said an LTA spokesman.
Some of the piloted locations AsiaOne drove through — including those with the 25m blue stretch of road or oval blue symbols — were clearly visible as we approached.
However, the 25m blue lines along the AYE were less obvious and could be easily overlooked by motorists, including some of us in the car.
Meanwhile, the ERP charges were subsequently deducted from our OBU without issue as we approached or exited the designated areas.
And while LTA said that motorists can expect to receive the "ERP Ahead" notification from their OBUs between 60m and 200m before charging locations, we missed some notifications as we were focused on driving and the road ahead.
The ERP alert zones, said LTA, are located at the last possible exit before motorists reach the ERP charging locations, so that motorists can consider an alternative route if they wish to avoid the charge.
Going forward, it'll take a bit of getting used to without the physical gantries, but the road markings or symbols do feel less imposing and more discreet.
LTA said they'll take into account users' feedback before deciding on a design for the markings or symbols.
The 1,000 motorists in this study will also be able to access additional ERP 2 features as they are rolled out for testing.
This will include the automatic payment of checkpoint tolls which will be rolled out from mid-June 2026, and the payment of Roadside Electronic Parking (REP) charges from August 2026.
Some 644 designated car park locations across Singapore (comprising about 19,000 parking lots) will be involved in the REP pilot trial from August 2026.
Under this trial, motorists can conveniently start their roadside parking session by tapping on the "P" icon on the OBU touchscreen.
Once the vehicle leaves the parking location, the OBU can automatically detect the vehicle's departure, end the parking session and calculate the parking charges.
This, said an LTA spokesman, eliminates the need for motorists to manually end their parking session.
So far, over 96 per cent of vehicles in Singapore have installed the ERP 2 OBU.
Most motorists have chosen to install the touchscreen display, which unlocks the full range of ERP 2 features — such as the payment of outstanding ERP charges, payment of roadside parking charges, and temporary disabling of CEPAS card payment for complimentary parking.
All Singapore-registered motor vehicles must be fitted with the ERP 2 OBU by Jan 1, 2027.
[[nid:729272]]
desmondng@asiaone.com
