CCZ concerned about urban tollgates

via CCZ concerned about urban tollgates | The Zimbabwean by Mary Taruvinga 07.10.13

The Consumer Council of Zimbabwe has questioned government’s proposal to introduce urban tollgates when similar projects were yet to be completed, expressing fear that the road use payment points would also worsen traffic congestion.

Government has mulled introducing tollgates on roads leading into urban centres. Executive Director, Rosemary Siyachitema, in a statement, said CCZ felt the projects were premature.

“The proposals by Government to introduce urban tollgates seem a pretty, noble idea – one which will obviously buoy the national purse and, hopefully, unlock some capital for infrastructure development for such amenities as roads, street lighting and so on.

“However, CCZ strongly thinks that the tollgate plan is coming too soon when government has projects of a similar nature that are still to be completed,” she said.

Siyachitema said the suggestion that the tollgates would solve current traffic congestion problems is highly debatable.

“We suggests that government (and) the Harare Municipality take care first of the issue of kombis in the Central Business District before the tolling system can be introduced.

“The use of the conventional mass bus system, as obtains elsewhere in major metropolises around the world, is in our view, a more permanent solution towards decongesting the city.” Siyachitema said tollgate tended to stimulate congestion.

“A plan then to introduce additional tollgates in urban areas when the inefficiencies prevalent with the existing tollgate system have not been dealt with is a recipe for disaster, which will simply abet more congestion particularly in major cities such as Harare,” she said.