[wanderlustindia]

The toll charges on the Pune-Mumbai expressway is now Rs. 140/-. Thats a hike of almost 20% over the exisiting charges. This is in effect from April 1st.

Mods: I was not sure if this is the right place to post this thread. You may move this to the right place, if deemed essential.

[ramie2400]

ohh man thats sane..!! how much are they going to earn out of the express way

[ram_hyundai]

All these shows that India is growing,rising interest rates,toll fees,etc reminds us of this.Jokes apart IMO these rates should go down rather than going up.With the increase in traffic their collection per day will increase.This may be a move to reduce the traffic on the express way also.
ram

[hvkumar]

I am a little bemused how the rate increase has been computed. As per NHAI rules, tolls are linked to inflation indices and the increase from the present Rs 118 to 140 is definitely not in synch with the inflation - works out to an absolute increase of 20%. This also means the cost per km is now Rs 1.40. Since the expressway is run by MSRDC and not NHAI, they follow their own rules, and not the law of the land! And the Finance Minsityer is asking steel producers, cement producers to reduce prices o control inflation while the governmen's own agencies keep increasing taxes and levies indicriminately to feed an extensive corrupt network of government servants and their contractors.

[swale84]

I'm really going to miss the perk or 5 star that they would give instead of the 2 Rs /- change when the toll was 118.

[Sahil]

Originally Posted by swale84

I'm really going to miss the perk or 5 star that they would give instead of the 2 Rs /- change when the toll was 118.

exactly my sentiments !

I was there on 1st April itself and had to pay the hiked rate, it's still worth all the time and petrol you save. Not to forget the exhilarating drive you experience. I highly doubt this will affect any traffic on the expressway.

[swale84]

Originally Posted by Sahil

exactly my sentiments !

I was there on 1st April itself and had to pay the hiked rate, it's still worth all the time and petrol you save. Not to forget the exhilarating drive you experience. I highly doubt this will affect any traffic on the expressway.

Yup, I did a round trip this Wednesday - Thursday as well, traffic was just as much as always. Infact while returning on Wednesday night I got stuck in the usual traffic slowdown near lonavla as well.

TRaffic on the expressway particularly increased after a toll on the old NH 4 section was introduced. Toll to travel on that section was also 118 /- so it made very little sense for anyone doing the Mumbai - Pune or Pune - Mumbai route to use the old highway.
Even now, a 22 /- ruppee difference won't bother anyone.

[amit]

Rs.140 is too much. The expressway is in bad shape and getting worse every month. Just where is the money going?!

[dhaval]

Originally Posted by amit

Just where is the money going?!

Seriously just where is the money going!!?? and whats MSRDC upto? the roads are not improving so whats the hike for!? Btw have they also increased the toll for Lonawala?
Looks like the babus are in serious need of money. Hence, the new toll introduced in Chandani Chowk(in Pune) aswell.

[007 Bond]

well, express way was bulit on BOT basis & an agrrement was made wherein an 18% hike was to be done every three years. last hike was done w.e.f 1/4/05. the same hike of 18% is effected for old pune - mumbai highway.

[swale84]

Originally Posted by dhaval

Seriously just where is the money going!!?? and whats MSRDC upto? the roads are not improving so whats the hike for!? Btw have they also increased the toll for Lonawala?
Looks like the babus are in serious need of money. Hence, the new toll introduced in Chandani Chowk(in Pune) aswell.

The money is going into the constant upkeep of the expressway. I dont remember the last time I was on it and didn't see some sort of maintainence work being carried out.

The money also goes into a security foce (Delta force) and a service crew. Believe me, they do a fabulous job. I have unfortunately had the opportunity to rely on their services and was pleasantly surprised by their prompt response and helpful attitude.

Saying the roads are not improving is wrong. When was the last time you travelled on the expressway?

Yes, toll has also been increased to go upto lonavala.

As Mr. Bond has mentioned, the increase is a regulated one, similar to when the toll increasd from 100 to 118 a few years ago.

Credit should be given where it is due. Remember, this was the first high speed carraigeway of its kind in the country and has been beneficial to thousands of people in both Mumbai & Pune, reducing travel times to almost half.

[shatrughna]

Originally Posted by swale84

Credit should be given where it is due. Remember, this was the first high speed carraigeway of its kind in the country and has been beneficial to thousands of people in both Mumbai & Pune, reducing travel times to almost half.

Well said! I used to travel frequently to Pune before the expressway was built and it was a nightmare each time and we couldnt be sure how much time would it take. Sometime I would leave home at 4 am to attend a 11 am meeting there and I still would be late.

Now its just 2 hours and believe me sometimes I have made it in exactly 1hr 10 minutes till Wakad crossing.
It saves more money than I paid for toll each time and peace of mind. There are some hiccups in monsoons which I am sure will get addressed with experienced. Those who might have got stuck in July 2005 would know what I am talking.

[wanderlustindia]

Totally agree. Its well worth the money spent for a peaceful drive. However, lately I have experienced traffic snarls in the ghats. This is where the trucks are racing each other at speeds of 20kph and the rest of the pack is following them . Something needs to be done in this regard. I am not sure what!

[tsk1979]

I guess this is an india wide phenomena. Toll has been raised on NH1 toll gates from 10% to 40%.
The number of toll gates from ludhiana to Delhi is set to increase to 4 from the current 3(310kms distance)

[swale84]

Originally Posted by wanderlustindia

Totally agree. Its well worth the money spent for a peaceful drive. However, lately I have experienced traffic snarls in the ghats. This is where the trucks are racing each other at speeds of 20kph and the rest of the pack is following them . Something needs to be done in this regard. I am not sure what!

Lol, yes this occurs particularly during the late evening / night when the truck traffic increases. The worst section for this is the Mum - Pune climb towards Lonavala (just before and after the bit where you go under a bridge with seperate divided lanes for heavy and light vehicles) This seems to be the hardest section for heavy vehicles to climb.

However, I must say, I find that drivers of trucks are fairly disciplined (barring the errant few cruising in the middle lane). What needs to be done is educating drivers on lane discipline more regularly. While traffic on the expressway is generally disciplined, it takes just one idiot doing 60 in the right lane to throw you off your momentum. Perhaps more signboards highlighting lane protocol should be out up.

I remember a couple of years ago, they used to hand out pamphlets at the tolls with pictoral representations of this. i.e left lane for heavy vehicles, right for overtaking, middle for cruising etc.

With traffic on the expressway increasing exponentially, this should be addressed before it becomes a major problem not just on the Mum - Pune expressaway but on the high speed carriageways (like the GOlden Quadrilateral) all over the country.