[coolclouds]

Most of the toll roads are a breeze to drive even though one need to pay for it. Its not worth to take detour and end up in bad stretches and lose time just to save few rupees.

IMO, villagers should get some concession for a reasonable stretch nearby as they may use the road very frequently.

[androdev]

recently had been to Lepakshi from Bangalore, and the road to Lepakshi is just after the toll plaza, so I had to pay Rs.55 just to cross the toll. and while returning after an hour or so, paid another Rs.55. of course, thats when I realized I should have taken a Rs.80 two-way-same-day ticket!! really nice road though, don't mind paying the toll. i would certainly prefer to pay the toll and use such nice roads. if i am on budget, maybe i would take the bus.

[mjothi]

Originally Posted by androdev

recently had been to Lepakshi from Bangalore, and the road to Lepakshi is just after the toll plaza, so I had to pay Rs.55 just to cross the toll.

This is the major draw back in our Toll system. We dont have the concept of pay for the use. Rather we pay for the entry. So, even if want to travel to the place which is just next to the Toll gate, we pay for the entire toll roads till the next toll.

I wish they change this with pass on entry and collect on exit. Next, they should actually have the Toll booths in the entry / exit of the Toll rather than in the middle of the highway. I wonder who or how this was designed

Anyway, something is better than nothing. And hope we should wait for a while more to get these done.

[MX6]

Originally Posted by WDM007

The best way to save Toll is, follow the process gievn below -->

-> Buy a white colored vehicle only

-> Invest in buying a siren & blue revolving light on top

-> Purchase some removable Ambulance stickers

-> Use above things while crossing a toll gate, then remove them !

The legal way of saving toll would be to use the transport system you sport in your avatar!

[WDM007]

Originally Posted by androdev

recently had been to Lepakshi from Bangalore, and the road to Lepakshi is just after the toll plaza, so I had to pay Rs.55 just to cross the toll. and while returning after an hour or so, paid another Rs.55. of course,

Same thing happens when we go from Pune to Shirgaon[Sai Temple] . The left turn for Shirgaon is just 50m after the Toll booth

[sgiitk]

Originally Posted by ghodlur

Most of the Toll Plazas are overdated. they were opened to recover the cost of building the roads rather than maintain it. But now a days they are used for maintaining the roads since the cost of the roads have been recovered a long time back. IMO the tolls on older roads atleast should be done away with.

Who told you this. All GQ and related roads are BOT or BOOT (Build <Own> Operate Transfer) with a 30 year franchise. Some of the recent bids are negative (they pay to build the road). So the franchisee makes a profit only after he collects tolls for some considerable number of years.

The big mix up an mistake has been we did not follow the global practice - leave the old non toll road intact and build limited access roads. This way the local traffic is not on the main highway.

I think the problem is that the franchisees then want about 500m on either side for development (mostly warehouses, industrial land etc) which our govt. did not wish to grant. So the big mess we are in. I am told they make more fo their profits from the -economic belt' than the road itself.

[saildrive]

Its not about paying tolls when you are going from one city to another like Mum - Pune etc., however there are enough toll booths in Mumbai/Dahisar/Thane which I regularly drive on!

I keep asking myself:
1) why do we pay toll for using a potholed filled road?
2) why do these bodies take road tax, when your car is bound to be tortured for using the same road?
3) is there any way this can be changed - brought to the authorities notice.....i am really fed up and curse everything - from potholes to water puddles and water accumulation that hapens

The irony is there are zillions of road users - private, public etc etc., and how come no one gives a damn or for that matter - does it only bother me? and everyone is really fine with it....coz maybe their company's are paying for the toll or the maintanence of the car or they are something that we call the - uber class masses who dont give a damn!

[ASHISHPALLOD]

Originally Posted by MX6

@AP. How does one miss the tolls on Pune - Mum route? Is there any route from pune to mumbai where I don't go through the e-way at all?

There are many routes for pune to mumbai via other ghat but if you want to go via borghat only[ ghat between khandala and khopoli], then you can't avoid that small stretch of e-way.

Yes, you can skip the toll plaza on old nh4 between pune and mumbai but the cost in terms of extra fuel and time is much more than that rs 100.

Btw, there is no need to pay toll for cars with numbers MH14 at dehuroad and lonavala toll plaza on old NH4.
Just push your car 2 feet before closed gate and a glare to toll guy will work. This is unofficial practice at car owner's risk.

[Voyager-1]

Many of you would have come across this. To reach Hosur from Bangalore, I usually come through Sarjapur and join the NH in Attibele. There is a toll booth within 200 meters and they collect Rs.20 from all the 4 wheelers. I suppose that this fee is for using the Elevated Tollway from Electronic City to Attibele. Everytime I end up paying the toll even though I do not use the tollway.

They could have easily differentiated the vehicles using the tollway by constructing barricades for some 100 meters from the end of the flyover to the toll booth and collected the toll only from them.

I hate to pay this toll and I am now avoiding this by taking the Sarjapur-Bagalur-House route . This route is approx 2 kms longer and in very good condition.

I wonder why would they do this and why anyone hasn't raised any objections.

[Nissan1180]

Toll maybe acceptable when the roads that you drive on are smooth, unobstructed and devoid of 'detours'. However, on our drive to Pune from Ahmedabad this year, there were large stretches of the highway in need of critical repairs, just after vapi. In fact, large parts were under construction, and had diversions at every few kilometeres. Yet, we had to pay a toll tax. It's really surprising that this has been allowed by the authorities. Toll tax is supposed to be collected after the completion of the road, I thought.

[praful]

Buy a 4x4. Drive off the road 1 km before and get on it 1 km after the Toll Booth.

I am for the toll, just that they need to mend their rules a little. Especially for the pay for use rather pay for entry thing.

[MX6]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

The big mix up an mistake has been we did not follow the global practice - leave the old non toll road intact and build limited access roads. This way the local traffic is not on the main highway.

Exactly sgiitk. The worst of this is the fact that the old NH4 merges with the e-way for a bit. So two wheelers and three wheelers are forced to take that route of around 13 odd kms. So it's not strange to see two wheelers on e-way in the wrong side between lonavala and the khopoli exit.
What's worse is that I had to pay 75 odd bucks as toll for those 13 kms though I took the old NH4.
Let them build new toll roads, but does it make any sense that one pays 140 bucks for the whole mumbai pune e-way and 75 for a 13 km stretch of bhor ghat alone?

@AP saab. I don't want to bypass tolls. I want to find out a route between Mumbai and Pune which doesn't have toll booths. Don't you find that it's harsh for every 4 wheeler to pay toll to traverse between mumbai and pune. The only two options I find are the NH4 (75 bucks I guess) and e-way 140 bucks. They should have kept the NH4 stretch intact and kept it toll free. What do we pay road tax for? Can't even use RTI as those people are getting killed!

@Mjothi. Bingo, only in India would we find toll booths bang on the highways and not on the exit ramps or entry ramps. This irritates people who need to traverse the length of the highway in having to stop every 30 or 40 kms to pay toll.
Unfortunately, one govt went building the e-ways. The other government didn't wait till it was complete. So as soon as they came to power, they went setting up toll booths.

@voyager. The moment they construct a barricade, one finds two wheelers and threewhelers coming in the wrong direction.

Last night I saw a moron in a sedan taking a u-turn cutting across 3 lanes, crossing the cones that were kept as lane divider to enter the khandala tunnel on the e-way. Missed him by 10 odd feet.

[ASHISHPALLOD]

Originally Posted by MX6

I want to find out a route between Mumbai and Pune which doesn't have toll booths. What do we pay road tax for? Can't even use RTI as those people are getting killed!

sadly, there is no road without toll.

Btw, now a days, we pay registration tax , not road tax.

[sushantr5]

I pay Rs.122 for 160 KMs. By standards this is too huge for me. This is cumulative cost from 3 tolls I pay to travel Karad to Pune on NH4. One toll Naka is near karad and it charges Rs.52 for single pass. No whole day or return pass is available on that Toll. Over this, This toll naka is always congested inturn I loose time which is saved by fast roads.

[ghodlur]

This is nothing compared to 200 bucks which I spend everytime when I travel from Thane to Pune (30+30+140) one way. I could save 60 rs if I were to go through Kalva vitava and then touch Thane Belapur road. I hope there is not toll on that route since its been ages I have been on that route.