With just three days to go for the toll booths to become operational at Sadarhalli Gate on National Highway-7 on the way back from the airport, taxi associations and airport goers are apprehensive that the exercise would lead to a huge traffic chaos at the toll junction leading to further delays in the movement of traffic on this busy road.
But the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), which is beginning toll collection from February 10, has said it is planning to introduce Electronic Toll Collection System, which will allow vehicle to pass through the toll booth without having to wait in queue to pay the toll physically. But long queues at the toll booths are the most likely scenario as over five lakh vehicles use Bellary Road every day. Airport taxis make around 49,000 trips daily. Though NHAI has said that vehicles heading to the airport from Bengaluru need not pay toll to avoid delays for passengers in a hurry, the move is not likely to solve traffic chaos, say experts.
“The NHAI has erected only four toll booths at Sadarhalli Gate and hundreds of vehicles will pass through the toll booths every minute. Each vehicle will take sometime to pass through the toll booth. “This will definitely create a traffic snarl. Lorries and inter-state buses too queue up at the toll booths, making it difficult for smaller vehicles to pass through. Any NHAI move will not help ease the movement of traffic. The NHAI has placed toll booths right after the airport to generate big revenues from airport taxis,” said traffic expert M.N. Srihari.
But NHAI project director R.K. Gupta begs to differ. “We are talking to various taxi associations and coming up with a revolutionary ETCS. It will eliminate the need to stop at the booths to pay the toll. There are around 3,000 airport taxis; they can enroll themselves and use the electronic debit system. It is already in place,” he added.
But the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), which is beginning toll collection from February 10, has said it is planning to introduce Electronic Toll Collection System, which will allow vehicle to pass through the toll booth without having to wait in queue to pay the toll physically. But long queues at the toll booths are the most likely scenario as over five lakh vehicles use Bellary Road every day. Airport taxis make around 49,000 trips daily. Though NHAI has said that vehicles heading to the airport from Bengaluru need not pay toll to avoid delays for passengers in a hurry, the move is not likely to solve traffic chaos, say experts.
“The NHAI has erected only four toll booths at Sadarhalli Gate and hundreds of vehicles will pass through the toll booths every minute. Each vehicle will take sometime to pass through the toll booth. “This will definitely create a traffic snarl. Lorries and inter-state buses too queue up at the toll booths, making it difficult for smaller vehicles to pass through. Any NHAI move will not help ease the movement of traffic. The NHAI has placed toll booths right after the airport to generate big revenues from airport taxis,” said traffic expert M.N. Srihari.
But NHAI project director R.K. Gupta begs to differ. “We are talking to various taxi associations and coming up with a revolutionary ETCS. It will eliminate the need to stop at the booths to pay the toll. There are around 3,000 airport taxis; they can enroll themselves and use the electronic debit system. It is already in place,” he added.
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