Road tolls to be scrapped during holidays
By Dong Zhen |
August 3, 2012, Friday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
PASSENGER cars will be exempt from road tolls on highways during major holidays, the central government announced yesterday.
Drivers have been complaining that busy toll gates were responsible for major traffic jams during peak travel periods.
Cars with seven seats or less and motorcycles will get a free pass on toll roads, bridges and tunnels during Spring Festival, Qingming Festival, Labor Day and National Day.
Officials at the Ministry of Transport said travelers will save a total of 10 billion yuan (US$1.59 billion) a year after the exemption, according to Xinhua news agency.
The nation's highways have expanded rapidly since the 1980s, when China allowed investors in road construction to collect tolls in return.
Over the past decade, the length of China's highways has expanded to 4.11 million kilometers from 1.77 million, with expressways accounting for 84,900 kilometers, the second-longest in the world.
These roads shoulder more than 75 percent of the country's total freight traffic and over 90 percent of passenger transport.
He Jianzhong, a ministry spokesman, told Xinhua that 3.65 trillion yuan was invested in China's tollways, with 2.32 trillion yuan yet to be paid off.
Experts began to call for toll reform after high tolls and illegal tolling raised logistics costs and triggered a public outcry.
"Some tollways still collect fees after charging people for 20 or 30 years. Nobody knows whether their debts have been paid off," said Wang Li, who drives between Beijing and neighboring Tianjin.
Chinese law specifies a maximum of 15 years of toll collecting after a highway opens, but some "profit-oriented" highways toll as long as they can.
The government should eliminate the toll stations after construction debts are paid off and cut or lower tolls for government-funded roads, suggested Xu Guangjian, a professor at the Renmin University of China.
During a campaign by five central government departments in June 2011, 328 tollbooths were eliminated or adjusted and 182 tollways lowered their charges.
Shanghai drivers plagued by daily road congestion have mixed feelings about the plan. Some hailed the change on social networking platforms yesterday but others feared a huge number of extra vehicles would be attracted by the lack of tolls.
"I fear expressway gridlock will only be more nightmarish during holidays," said Li Xin, a Shanghai motorist.
Shanghai Construction Commission said city expressways were likely to be more congested because of the lack of tolls.
The tollgate fee plan will save drivers 180 yuan on a drive from Shanghai to the Yellow Mountain in Anhui Province and 215 yuan on a trip to Sanqingshan in Jiangxi Province.
It costs 40 yuan to drive from Shanghai to Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, and 85 yuan to Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province.
Drivers have been complaining that busy toll gates were responsible for major traffic jams during peak travel periods.
Cars with seven seats or less and motorcycles will get a free pass on toll roads, bridges and tunnels during Spring Festival, Qingming Festival, Labor Day and National Day.
Officials at the Ministry of Transport said travelers will save a total of 10 billion yuan (US$1.59 billion) a year after the exemption, according to Xinhua news agency.
The nation's highways have expanded rapidly since the 1980s, when China allowed investors in road construction to collect tolls in return.
Over the past decade, the length of China's highways has expanded to 4.11 million kilometers from 1.77 million, with expressways accounting for 84,900 kilometers, the second-longest in the world.
These roads shoulder more than 75 percent of the country's total freight traffic and over 90 percent of passenger transport.
He Jianzhong, a ministry spokesman, told Xinhua that 3.65 trillion yuan was invested in China's tollways, with 2.32 trillion yuan yet to be paid off.
Experts began to call for toll reform after high tolls and illegal tolling raised logistics costs and triggered a public outcry.
"Some tollways still collect fees after charging people for 20 or 30 years. Nobody knows whether their debts have been paid off," said Wang Li, who drives between Beijing and neighboring Tianjin.
Chinese law specifies a maximum of 15 years of toll collecting after a highway opens, but some "profit-oriented" highways toll as long as they can.
The government should eliminate the toll stations after construction debts are paid off and cut or lower tolls for government-funded roads, suggested Xu Guangjian, a professor at the Renmin University of China.
During a campaign by five central government departments in June 2011, 328 tollbooths were eliminated or adjusted and 182 tollways lowered their charges.
Shanghai drivers plagued by daily road congestion have mixed feelings about the plan. Some hailed the change on social networking platforms yesterday but others feared a huge number of extra vehicles would be attracted by the lack of tolls.
"I fear expressway gridlock will only be more nightmarish during holidays," said Li Xin, a Shanghai motorist.
Shanghai Construction Commission said city expressways were likely to be more congested because of the lack of tolls.
The tollgate fee plan will save drivers 180 yuan on a drive from Shanghai to the Yellow Mountain in Anhui Province and 215 yuan on a trip to Sanqingshan in Jiangxi Province.
It costs 40 yuan to drive from Shanghai to Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, and 85 yuan to Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province.
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