Slow pace at expressway toll booths causes congestion

Passengers and transport workers suffered due to huge traffic congestion triggered by the slow pace of toll collection booths on the Dhaka–Mawa–Bhanga expressway on Friday.

The authorities started collecting tolls on the expressway on Friday, making it the fourth toll road in the country.

The slow pace of toll collection due to some closed booths made congestion in the morning though the Roads and Highways Department blamed transport users for the problem saying that they took time to pay  tolls as it was new to them.

The Road Transport and Highways Division on Wednesday issued a circular fixing toll rate, ranging from Tk 30 to Tk 1,690, for using the 55-kilometre expressway.

Prime minister Sheikh Hasina in March 2020 formally inaugurated the expressway, officially known as Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Highway, built at a cost of Tk 11,003 crore.

The government did not charge a toll for the expressway after its inauguration though people had to pay tolls for using three bridges on the expressway — the China-Bangladesh Friendship Bridge known as the Buriganga Bridge, the Dhaleshwari Bridge and the Arial Khan Bridge.

The new tolls for the expressway include the charges for using these three bridges.

The expressway has eight entry and exit points at zero point (Dhaka), Srinagar, Mawa, Abdullahpur, Pacchor, Bhanga, Maligram and Pulia, where tolls would be collected manually until an automatic system was installed.

Since morning traffic congestion was seen at Dhaleswari Bridge toll plaza, where a total of 12 (six towards Padma Bridge and six towards Dhaka) toll booths were set up.

Many buses, trucks, pick-up vans and motorcycles were seen waiting in long queues at the toll plaza.

Some people were seen passing idle time at roadside hotels and food shops as their vehicle got stuck in traffic gridlock.

RHD Narayanganj circle superintendent engineer Md Nazmul Haque told New Age that in the morning four booths on each side were opened.

The vehicular movement became normal there after all booths were opened there.

‘Normally it takes 30 seconds to take tolls from a vehicle,’ he said. ‘But it took around two minutes today as most drivers were asking why they had to pay tolls,’ he said.

This questioning delayed the toll collection process, he said.

Nazmul said that many drivers were confused as they thought they would require paying a toll only for using Padma Bridge.

People also alleged traffic congestion at the Faridpur end of the expressway.

On the expressway - the toll for a trailer is Tk 1,690, for a heavy truck Tk 1,100, for a medium truck Tk 550, for a bus Tk 495, for a mini truck Tk 415, for a mini bus Tk 275, for a microbus and other four-wheeler vehicles Tk 220, for a car Tk 140 and a motorcycle Tk 30.

RHD signed a contract with Korea Expressway Corporation for collecting tolls, traffic control and maintenance of the expressway for five years.

Bangladesh Road Transport Authority on Thursday raised bus fares from Tk 31 to Tk 66 on 15 long routes from Dhaka to different south-western districts considering the toll for the expressway.

The PM inaugurated the much-awaited Padma Bridge on June 25.

News Courtesy:

https://www.newagebd.net/article/174816/slow-pace-at-expressway-toll-booths-causes-congestion