[ghodlur]

Its truly Acche din but not for the commuters but to the political parties, the toll operators and all related beneficiaries.

The Pune Mumbai Expressway or Yashwantrao chavan expressway toll rates have been hiked by 18% from 1st April 2017. The toll for motorists, starting next month, will be Rs 230 as opposed to the earlier Rs 195. This is for the cars. The hikes have been similar for other vehicle categories too.

The hike is totally uncalled for considering the fact that a little is done to ensure safety and smooth traffic on the E-way. Every alternate day we hear about the huge traffic jams on the E-way due to trailer/heavy vehicles accident. Even the road surface in few sections especially the ghat sections have gone from bad to worse. Already the existing rates were felt way on the higher side and with the new state govt in place there was a hope that things would improve but nothing happening on ground reality. (Atleast people believed the toll free state promised and voted them). As a honest and regular tax payer, I feel cheated with this hike.

This will definitely reduce the Pune trips which I used to have once a month. Better start booking train tickets.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/....w/57786142.cms

http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report...pril-1-2364721

Mods - request the thread title to changed to" Pune - Mumbai expressway toll raised to Rs.165 Edit now raised to Rs 230"

[akshay386]

IMO we should stop it calling as "Expressway". There is no reason to call it as expressway, just making wider (6 lane road) doesn't make it expressway.

As always there is undisciplined traffic in Khnadala ghat and huge logging of vehicles at toll-booth which makes the journey dammn hectic specially when your are driving.

I got new name suggestion "lootway"

[centaur]

This hike is just uncalled for and on what basis are they hiking the toll? The volume of vehicles has gone way up from what they had predicted earlier. They have raked in a huge profit and adding to it there is nothing better being done to ensure a traffic free driving experience. During Fridays and Mondays every week there are serpentine queues of vehicles at the ghats and at the tolls. Adding to it, bikers are a very frequent scene as well all through the highway including wrong side entrants. Just pathetic. I wouldn't drive down between the two cities now and even if I have to, I would rather take the old highway than the eway

[varunswnt]

Originally Posted by centaur

Just pathetic. I wouldn't drive down between the two cities now and even if I have to, I would rather take the old highway than the eway

I agree with all your other points but this one. E-way is still convenient in terms of getting faster to either city. Ghat section is anyways common to both roads, in addition you have speed breakers and many intersections and crossroads for villages and towns on old NH-4. Try crossing Panvel, Khopoli and Lonavala section on old highway.

Toll hike is completely unjustifiable considering the state E-Way is under at many sections. In my recent trip, I noticed many new reflectors, cat eyes and new road markings have improved visibility during night times. But still this is not sufficient as Tunnels are still not properly lit and amrutanjan bridge is nightmare.

[ghodlur]

Originally Posted by centaur

This hike is just uncalled for and on what basis are they hiking the toll? The volume of vehicles has gone way up from what they had predicted earlier. They have raked in a huge profit and adding to it there is nothing better being done to ensure a traffic free driving experience.

Precisely for these reasons, there is already an ongoing campaign by few activists who have alleged that the Toll operator has already recovered the contract amount in Oct 2016 itself although the contract is till 2019. MSRDC unfortunately has been defending the toll operator we all know for what reasons. I have this strong urge to join the activists by an online campaign but having been a part of a similar campaign to "remove the Mulund toll before Poll" failing miserably, don't know whether the Pune E-way toll would be scrapped altogether.

Maybe the state govt needs to adopt the same policy it did with the PWD tolls which was stopped for private cars.

http://www.dnaindia.com/money/report...rnment-2347012

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/c...w/57551726.cms

[centaur]

Originally Posted by varunswnt

E-way is still convenient in terms of getting faster to either city. Ghat section is anyways common to both roads, in addition you have speed breakers and many intersections and crossroads for villages and towns on old NH-4. Try crossing Panvel, Khopoli and Lonavala section on old highway.

Not really. If you go on the day that generally most public goes (Friday/Monday), the traffic is just horrible. Also the ghat section isnt common either. It used to be at one point in time but is now completely separated though you have an option to get onto the eway and move out at Lonavala. On the old highway, you go over the Amrutanjan bridge, than under it as on the Eway. I can say this because I used the old eway once just for the sake of it and IIRC, I paid around 80/100 bucks for toll from Pune to Mumbai. Yes the speed breakers, coupled with biker traffic and others like tractors/bullock carts are there but then it isnt a really big issue.

When I went through the old highway, the max I was able to reach was around 100kmph in open stretches but anyway the limit on Eway is around 80 anyway though people zoom past at 100+. Yes it maybe a little longer than eway but the toll is almost less than half of what its on the eway

[varunswnt]

Originally Posted by centaur

Not really. If you go on the day that generally most public goes (Friday/Monday), the traffic is just horrible.

Traffic is horrible mostly in ghat sections and the reason is unruly drivers trying to do F1 around slow moving heavy vehicles and heavy vehicles trying to overtake each other. Pune to Mumbai stretch gets jammed at landslide sections as the lane is blocked as precautionary measure. Mumbai to Pune stretch gets jammed before amrutanjan bridge thanks to steep incline and sharp turn. Since last few months multi axle trucks are not allowed in ghats in Golden hours period (Under this initiative, Pune-bound vehicles will be stopped between 5 pm and 8 pm on Fridays and between 8 am and 12 noon on Sundays. Similarly, vehicles coming towards Mumbai will be halted between 4 pm and 8 pm on Sundays and 6 am to 9 am on Mondays).

Also the ghat section isnt common either. It used to be at one point in time but is now completely separated though you have an option to get onto the eway and move out at Lonavala. On the old highway, you go over the Amrutanjan bridge, than under it as on the Eway.

Flying over amrutanjan bridge can be done only on Pune-Mumbai stretch. The other route to bypass e-way is actually not a legal route for commuters, its basically old highway which is used by Khandala and Khopoli locals for daily errands.

I used the old eway once just for the sake of it and IIRC, I paid around 80/100 bucks for toll from Pune to Mumbai. Yes the speed breakers, coupled with biker traffic and others like tractors/bullock carts are there but then it isnt a really big issue.

35 (shedung) +35 (varsoli) +35 (somatane)=105. This is almost half the amount of e-way toll that you need on old highway.

When I went through the old highway, the max I was able to reach was around 100kmph in open stretches but anyway the limit on Eway is around 80 anyway though people zoom past at 100+. Yes it maybe a little longer than eway but the toll is almost less than half of what its on the eway

100+ is risky on old highway as there are people, cattle and bikers crossing at various points. If 80 is speed limit of e-way, so in that sense what should have been speed limit of old highway.