[DuHasstMich]

One thing which consumes time unnecessarily is when the toll is some random value. Keep it strictly limited to multiples of 10, rounded down always.
Half of the time, the travelers are searching for change, or the toll both operator is searching for change, leading to longer wait times for all in queue!

If FasTag doesn't seem feasible, can't we have the token system? Anyone can buy them in advance and use them for payment. People who still refuse to procure can queue up in a single lane, and should be penalized if they enter wrong lanes!

On the highways I even see the FasTag lanes clogged up, with morons holding cash in hand.

[spoth001]

Guys,
Some more info on Quick movement at Toll Plazas. During my time in the USA, Miami, FL, I sometimes used the fast lanes in "SunPass" highways (google it). The concept of Sunpass is very simple. There will be no barriers or no check posts but a little additional fee ($0.75-$1 extra) if we use those lanes instead of the regular ones.
They used to have 2 to 4 lanes as these lanes besides the regular ones. These lanes are equipped with UHF (ultra high frequency) readers, LPR (License plate readers), cameras & few more misc. items which all get triggered when a vehicle passes the lane.
All these are mounted on posts at a suitable angle in order to facilitate clear recognition. You can purchase the tag online which should be pasted on your windscreen. Once pasted, no-one can steal it. If someone tries to tamper, it will self-destroy.

In short, whenever you use these lanes,the balance in your Sunpass account gets deducted. You can recharge it online.

Make note of this: People without the tags can also use these lanes, but will have to go to Sunpass portal and pay the fees (I guess a $1 more than the regular ones). There is a credit period of 30 days.

Now this is what is a cashless travel.

You see we are worlds apart in implementation of these things sadly, even though we are cash rich !! IRB makes us buy Fast Tags which do not offer flexible features. Moreover at peaktimes the FastTag lanes are choked.

IMHO, Tolls should not be collected from Mumbaikars, atleast in the manner they are being now. You have to enforce every outsider/trucks/commercial vehicles etc to pay the toll in digital way. They have to use Fast Tags and most of the lanes should be equipped with Fast Tag readers unlike what we have now.

We, the Govt. and mother nature save a lot in this process !!

[ajmat]

In Turkey, all vehicles have a wireless device and a prepaid account. No manual payment, if you default, you get fined heavily

[Mortis]

What happened to the proposal by the truck drivers union who offered to pay the entire toll collection amount for India in exchange for toll booths being shut down ? It was a good proposal IMO

[sgiitk]

Originally Posted by Mortis

What happened to the proposal by the truck drivers union who offered to pay the entire toll collection amount for India in exchange for toll booths being shut down ? It was a good proposal IMO

Good idea, with every more expressways on the anvil, will the truckers accept higher tariffs.

One more issue, tolls do serve a secondary purpose keeping some of the local traffic off. We made a basic mistake, upgrading highways, without providing for local toll free roads. This would have kept a lot of local traffic off.

[sumzup]

Originally Posted by Sameey192

Hi All,

Just to bring to notice
As per circular no. NHAI/CO/04/2016 by NHAI
At every toll plaza 100 meter ahead from collection booth should have a red line. If the traffic in que crosses this line, you can approach the booth and ask the barrier to be opened without toll collection.
And this is a given directive to all NHAI toll Booths for traffic smoothness.

Attached is the image of circular.
Thanks
Sameer

Hi Sameer, I just went through the link given and there is a mention of red line in the circular and it does also mention that the toll collectors should actually increase the number of polls to ease congestion but it does not mention that we are to approach the booth and ask them to allow us to go without paying the toll. The circular just mentions the steps to be taken in case the congestion increases and also asks the concerned recipients for suggestions

In fact, there is a video doing rounds in you-tube by an individual who suggests in the video that the yellow line has been put in tolls and a traveler has been allowed to go without paying due to the congestion. There is also another video from 2016 by Milind which also suggests the same.

[blackwasp]

Originally Posted by spoth001

My current job makes me travel till Thane from Chembur. 50% times I do not pay toll. I just look them in the eye with sarcasm . This is the catch, they know they should not collect but they do anyways, thats because commuters are unaware of this. I just think how can it not strike them ? They wait in the Queue to pay toll, damn !! I so wish that this message is displayed loud and clear ahead of every toll booth. MEP/IRB get richer day by day and we tax payers get poorer.



Please pass this message and keep spotting the Yellow line in every toll booth you approach.





Cheers !

Doesn't always work. I travel twice a week into Mumbai and I've managed to get away from paying only 50% of times. This happens when I go into lanes with no supervisors nearby. Once I had a chat with s supervisor and he said he's also an employee and has to collect toll from all. Yellow line rule is simply unofficial and isn't written into their contracts. They just let go some cars / or in case there are cars in front of an emergency vehicle based on their targets ( vehicles/hr). He said on a good day he does let go 20% cars incase of traffic - mostly during Sunday evenings (traffic coming into Mumbai ) and peak commute timings. He's not obligated to let go any vehicle without payment.

We should instead approach the govt who awarded the contract instead of the toll company. All these contracts are awarded based on the commission the babus get every week for giving the tender/ contract.

Also the total toll collected at Mumbai entry points is lesser than the value of fuel spent waiting at tolls. Go figure ! So ultimately we are paying for the swanky SUVs of politicians and toll operator.

[Sameey192]

Originally Posted by sumzup

Hi Sameer, I just went through the link given and there is a mention of red line in the circular and it does also mention that the toll collectors should actually increase the number of polls to ease congestion but it does not mention that we are to approach the booth and ask them to allow us to go without paying the toll. The circular just mentions the steps to be taken in case the congestion increases and also asks the concerned recipients for suggestions

In fact, there is a video doing rounds in you-tube by an individual who suggests in the video that the yellow line has been put in tolls and a traveler has been allowed to go without paying due to the congestion. There is also another video from 2016 by Milind which also suggests the same.

Hi,

The image i shared had an printing on back side with RTI details and the do and don't in such conditions.
My car has crossed blocked toll plazas easily with the information page and several learned other drivers, i am stating this from state of punjab.
Going to toll and asking him to let off a bunch of cars is the only way to release blockage, otherwise saving a toll tax is not the purpose of the circular released.
Thanks
Sameer

[afunnynut]

Anyone aware of this?

https://thelogicalindian.com/awarene...nutes-waiting/

[condor]

Looks like we have some relief coming soon: All lanes to be enabled for digital payment. Hope that includes Fastag


http://www.livemint.com/Politics/I91...oll-lanes.html

[msk016]

I think the root cause of the problem is that we are not able to identify & trace the vehicle, owner of the vehicle and the driver on a nation wide basis. If we were able to do that, we could also easily have systems like in Singapore, US, UAE, etc. Now we are scared out of our pants to let someone pass through the toll without knowing for sure if he/she has paid the toll or not. Technology like Aadhar and further digitization is the only solution for the problem. Even if the government enforces Fast Tag, it will not improve the clogging situation by much, because vehicles still have to slow down at the toll, which will cause bottlenecks. True free flow traffic should be just that, free flow without any slowing down or stoppage. Technology like that exists, just takes a strong leader to crack the whip and implement it.

[TejasKinger]

Digressing a little bit from the topic here, but I came across this disturbing thread on Twitter where an attempt was made to manhandle someone when asked for a cashless payment option at the Salem Kumarapalyam toll booth.

Original tweet and full thread here

Is this our vision for a cashless India?

Also, what does one do in a situation like this?

For the benefit of those not on Twitter:

[gadadhar]

Truckers after the first round of strike has joined hands with bus owners and is threatening to go on indefinite strike if the Tolls are not removed. It seems a truck take additional 10 Hrs due to crowd at Toll Plazas while driving from Delhi to Bangalore, there is lot of monetary loss as well.

Meanwhile, government today has sanctioned new road project of 83,677 km of highways to be built in next 5 years at 7 lakh crore. I am sure all this will be toll roads and if the problem is not solved may not serve the purpose

[nkghai]

News Just being flashed on one of the news channels.
"Fast Tags will be mandatory for all four vehicles manufactured after 01 Dec 2017".
Will it decrease clogging of toll booths. Wait and watch