How About Paying Only For The Distance Travelled On A Toll Road?

A new proposed policy, applicable to all access-controlled highways/expressways, will allow you to pay only for the distance you wish to cover on the road, said a Mint report.

The existing "open toll policy" involves a fixed amount to be paid based on the length of the stretch under one project, typically 60-km. All travellers on toll roads currently pay the same fee irrespective of whether their destination is a few metres after the toll booth or if they cover the whole stretch.

But a "closed toll policy" being explored by the Road Transport and Highways Ministry will let commuters pay only for the distance travelled on highways where there is no access from all sides and expressways.

The plan will be operationalized first on the new 135km Eastern Peripheral Expressway which would cover Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, bypassing Delhi. The Rs 7,000-crore expressway is aimed at reducing traffic in Delhi by providing an alternative route to vehicular traffic not headed into in the national capital, the report said.

Transport minister Nitin Gadkari had hinted at such a policy at a summit last week.

Toll rates are currently revised every year. The report added that the government already has a policy on how much to charge per kilometre and the fee will be calculated based on where the vehicle entered on the toll road and where it exited.