So this column isn't actually a speedometer?

The multi-camera traffic monitoring devices - better known as Blue Blitzers - placed along German roads do not serve the purpose of speed measurement, but were developed to check toll payments, reports autozeitung.de. The first of these four-meter-high toll control posts were erected in 2018, initially only along highways.

Today, the Toll Collect system monitors the traffic around Germany's approximately 40,000 km of roads and identifies vehicles that have failed to pay tolls. These new types of blue bollards are much more cost-effective and modern, and take up significantly less space than the previously used toll bridges spanning over traffic lanes, which also had limited use on federal roads. In addition, they fit better into the overall picture of the landscape. The cameras integrated in the column take several images of the vehicle concerned, and if the system detects a lack of toll payment, the procedure is automatically started.

One of the features of the devices is that they never flash, and their blue color makes them clearly distinguishable from speed cameras, which are usually painted in a more striking color. It is important to know that since August 1, 2024, the toll limit has been reduced from 7.5 tons to 3.5 tons in Germany, and vehicles that are used for road transport of goods also pay tolls, regardless of whether they have a load. However, this regulation still does not apply to motorhomes.