Re: For a bit of common sense at Toll Booths Dear All
Am repeating the three suggestions that I had made earlier (without the detailed explanation). I really believe they would work and that any suggestion or change that we may expect to be implemented in India would normally be accepted only if there was no financial loss to the govt. That is what I am proposing. It is only about increasing convenience and reducing wastage but at no stage does this cause a loss to the govt and infact the govt and the public both benefit due to the savings in time and fuel. Quote:
Originally Posted by ACM So to sum it up, what am I proposing?
1) Charge Double the Toll one way and keep the other way free. Have more lanes on the side on which toll is charged by increasing the road width at the cost of the other side.
2) Have round figure values for the toll to be charged. The Govt. needs to work that out by putting more effort into the design of the Toll Collection agreements for BOT Projects.
3) Penalize those who use the wrong lane at the toll booths (normal cash payers in Monthly toll lanes, or Trucks in Car lanes) by charging them double or triple the toll. | Quote:
Originally Posted by jaysmokesleaves Answers:
1. Why dont they just do away with the toll ? COme up with annual registrations for all vehicles and include a flat fee for road access. That will save a whole lot of time and eyesore of a toll booth. Anyways we are living in times worse than the british raj. To go anywhere across the country you have to pay toll and solve a whole lot of other problems.
This toll system is is an infringment of basic right of mobility. I dont support the argument that infrastructure development needs money. The govt is already charging taxes for that. All the tax money goes to the scum in the scam. Scam is become like an arbitrary toll tax on the national exchequer.
3. Penalizing anyone means another queue for fines!!!!!!!!!!
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Yep Jay but I guess the govt would loose x funds due to there being no toll so let them keep it but atleast not waste our time on it. The penalty bit is simple just give the person coming at the wrong booth two toll tickets instead of one. Quote:
Originally Posted by parsh Really nice thoughts, and at that an appeal to use Common Sense to all. More often we just get queued up wrongly, keep waiting for the clearance ahead, getting feel of what if I was in that fast moving lane, shall I cut through the lane to go ahead or into the fast moving lane, what if people, especially Trucks and heavy vehicles etc really followed the norms going into their specific lanes and not getting into other vehicle lanes.
Your thoughts are quite right to some extent. However a few perspectives come to mind:
Also,
4. Pre-Printed Receipts Handed Down: Toll Booths at busy places just keep some toll receipts ready to hand down to commuters. At times there is fraud happening of giving old receipts and commuters not being able to check it properly (as it is the prints on these receipts are so poor that one is not able to identify 100% unless one stops and checks it properly) due to need to hasten up the lane due to lane traffic as well as own haste. If any commuter slows down, the response from the lane and the toll booth guys is just to hurry by hand-signals, verbal shouts and honking from behind by the vehicles in the lane. How sane is that? |
Thanks for more or less agreeing with 1,2,3. In outstation toll booths the toll tickets are supposed to mention the registation number of the cars so pre printing is not possible (they also take and save a snap of the car automatically) but that said in the last trip from Bombay to Baroda and back all 8 times the toll ticket had incorrect registation numbers typed. Quote:
Originally Posted by faustus77 Hi everybody
On 3rd april when driving from Bhavnagar to Bombay there was a 3km jam at the toll naka between Bharuch and Ankleshwar.Though there is a separate lane for cars but to get there was not possible as every nook and cranny was jammed.
I wanted to take the golden bridge over the Narmada river(I advise this in all my posts) but I could not even approach the turning(which was much before the toll booth) to go into the city.
The toll is rs18 only but it would have taken more than an hour to clear so I just checked into a hotel for the night.Next morning with cops regulating the traffic it was not bad.
Regards |
I take this route often and it is a bit of a lottery. I have once spent 7 hrs for the 7 kms line before the toll booth while on other days I have passed in 5 mins or on there days have had to do this 7 kms on the opp side of the road or risk being stuck overnight like you. The problem is one of the bridges over the narmada river needs to be replaced as it cannot take truck loads and so trucks are passed both ways from the same bridge and as yet they have not started construction of a new bridge. Quote:
Originally Posted by phamilyman http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...vignettes.html
You are six months too late sir.
as for tolls, i was once told by someone in DGSCL that the NHAI act apparently does not include provisions for challaning cash payers using the tag lane (or suchlike issues). Therefore, the mess we face, daily. |
Had noted the thread but wished my Ideas to get across freshly as I believe they can be easily implemented if someone uses a bit of will and common sense. Also for using the wrong lane am just suggesting a double ticket. Yes as you mention they could be some minor legal loop holds buts then we find ways to go around them for our convenience ever so oftern (expecially in the govt if there is money to be made.) Quote:
Originally Posted by smartcat The queue at toll gate bothers me only if the wait is for more than 5 minutes.
Most of the toll roads are based on BOO basis - Build, Own & Operate. But although the construction company builds the road, they are not given a free hand to charge whatever they want. They are either allowed to earn a fixed RoE (Return on Equity), say 15%. That's why you see weird prices - Rs. 42, Rs. 51 etc. Sometimes, If they are allowed to increase prices, it is generally a percentage per year. It is again fixed in the long term contract (with a few exceptions for unexpected large expenses like road repair etc)
The high tech solution for both long queues & money denomination issue is large scale implementation of electronic toll collection. Electronic toll collection - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
Nothing stops the govt from ensuring that the toll agreement ensures that toll is in multiples of Rs. 5 and account for that deviation in collection amounts.
Yep ultimately electronic tags in our cars should allow for automatic deduction of toll like say in Taiwan and so many othere places around the world but till then lets pitch for the ideas that I have put across for now. Quote:
Originally Posted by ghodlur Good thoughts. If wishes were only horses, I would wish to do away with the toll altogether esp in the cities like Mumbai/Thane where IMO its a fleece by the state govts taking a toll from vehicle traversing a distance of 30 odd kms between Mumbai/Thane.
I have written n number of times to the MSRDC guys during the Mulund flyover constructions and otherwise as well about this suggestion but to no luck. The monthly toll line seems to be evergrowing with vehicles paying cash. The thing which further irritates me is the drivers reaching for their wallets after reaching the booth which further delays the traffic. Yet the resilient Mumbaite/Thaneite prefer to wait and watch. ![Frustration](https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/images/smilies/Frustration.gif) |
This is the route I take, as well and have faced the same issues. - Try it at night post 10pm when the trucks are allowed. Suggest you write to the chief Ministers office as well. - pls also give a link to this thread. Appreciate the effort already taken by you. Quote:
Originally Posted by DHABHAR.BEHRAM Dear ACM - you have some good suggestions but it is difficult to implement in our country which thrives on creating chaos. The "wrong lane" fellow will insist on reversing, creating road rage. In our country, there is a critical mass of people who do not have basic common sense!
Behram Dhabhar |
Yep Sir, But we do also manage to enforse so many rules to if this is made a rule and clearly mentioned no arguments need be entertained. Simply hand the guy a double ticked and keep a uniformed traffic police guy at the booth who will hand the guy an offical ticket for breaking traffic rules if he creates too much of a ruckus. |