Test Start for German Truck Toll System Set

Germany’s controversial high-tech toll system for heavy commercial vehicles, mired in delays and technical hitches, will start a crucial test phase on Friday, German Transport Minister Manfred Stolpe announced on Thursday. The minister, however, did not say whether the system would officially kick off on November 2 as planned. Stolpe assured that the consortium Toll Collect, backed by corporate heavyweights Deutsche Telekom and DaimlerChrysler, would clear all pending questions by the weekend. But the planned satellite technology, meant to track vehicles on the highways and charge them per kilometer driven has come under fire from experts. Director of the Cologne Institute for Information Safety (ISIS), Harmut Pohl told a German newspaper on Thursday the system wasn’t safe enough and endangered data protection. Pohl said surveillance cameras mounted on the toll bridges would photograph all vehicles including cars. Though photos that aren’t relevant would be erased, Pohl insisted it couldn’t be guaranteed.