This story is from November 25, 2015

Toll booth queues affect work productivity in Mumbai, finds study

The research paper, which worked out the arithmetic of the futile waiting time at Vashi, Airoli, LBS Road, Mulund and Dahisar toll booths vis-à-vis the time that could be used for productive work, said that around 2% of the city’s GDP was lost due to the long queues at the toll plazas
Toll booth queues affect work productivity in Mumbai, finds study
Thane: Traffic congestion and the frustrating long queues at the five entry points into Mumbai affect work productivity and cause a negative economic output, found a study by a state-appointed consultant. The research paper, which worked out the arithmetic of the futile waiting time at Vashi, Airoli, LBS Road, Mulund and Dahisar toll booths vis-à-vis the time that could be used for productive work, said that around 2% of the city’s GDP was lost due to the long queues at the toll plazas.

Mumbai, which is a service-oriented growth centre with a highly competitive work force, cannot afford to lose valuable productivity time, the report said, adding that it was “therefore prudent to decide on cessation or continuation of the toll policy”.
“On assessing the value of the waiting time of each vehicle, it is estimated that the total loss of working hours of Mumbai’s population could be Rs 6,260 crore annually. In return, the annual toll collected from light motor vehicles from the five toll posts is estimated at Rs 222 crore,” said the report, basing its findings on a research document by IIM-Calcutta and the Transport Corporation of India.
The consultant, a Navi Mumbai-based IT firm, has advised the state road development body to scrap the unprofitable toll for light motor vehicles and suggested several ways to make up for the forgone Rs 222 crore by increasing road cess levied on petrol and diesel, adding surcharge on the purchase of vehicles, giving discounts in toll for commuters travelling during non-peak hours from 9pm to 7am among others.
The report of the traffic survey, which was conducted between July 8 and 14, was accessed by citizen-activist Shrinivas Ghanekar using an RTI application.
Ghanekar, who has been spearheading a battle for transparency and accountability in the toll policy, said the report only substantiates his views that toll collection not only burns a hole in people’s pockets, but also causes a loss to the exchequer.
Several motorists who daily cross the toll booths agree with the study findings. Kshitij Ware (26), a businessman from Waghbil located outside Thane city, said, “On Tuesday, around 8am, I took 25 minutes to reach the Mulund toll naka (E) from Dnyanasadhana College. This entire routine not only wastes productive time, but also has a negative impact on our work through the day.”
Student Siddesh Sukhi (23) complained, “While I don’t have to pay toll as I ride a bike, it takes me 25-30 minutes to manoeuvre around the traffic at the Mulund toll naka.”
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