Toll roads

This post is in context with Chennai and might not be true for other cities and countries. Some of the important roads in the exterior parts of the city are being converted into toll roads. The express IT highway is also converted into a toll road. These roads are really well maintained since these are maintained by a private contractor and have stipulated contractual obligation to be met. Lot of Indians living abroad was stunned by the quality of the roads and that these were in comparison with international standards. Thanks to the arrival and acceptance of this new concept.

There are a lot of factors that need to be considered. The traffic congestion is one important aspect. Toll road requires a payment of fee by the passing vehicle either by cash or by a smart card. That too with the weird denomination of money they collect in the toll roads, it can only cause traffic jam. If the road which is tolled has a high density of traffic, it might cause traffic clogging due to the toll collection plaza. Think of the highly indisciplined drivers including me, all you can expect is a mess. In days where highways are traffic jammed, think of a toll booth that stops every vehicle for a payment.

The peripheral roads leading to the primary toll road also have a toll booth for those joining the main road. This is the best. The road is less than a hundred meter with a two lane toll stall. A bus needs to squeeze in those lanes. Especially with the advent of highly inexperienced drivers, I am sure the toll plaza concrete would need a repair every fortnight. Guess what. Even before you pass that tiny little gate, you have a human marketing barricade who tries to give some application for those smart cards. Thank God I was driving and not my wife, she would have killed that guy as she doesn’t know to brake.

I am one of those who prefer toll roads since I use them rarely for getting out of the city. But think of those who have their home or office that requires daily passage. The first question they would be asking is, where are the road taxes going, where are the damn thirty percent of my income going. Isn’t it the responsibility of the government to maintain these roads? Why should I be paying a toll fee daily?