There
has been a debate in Zambia as to whether we are ready to have tollgates or
not. Some corners of society argue that Zambia does not have the capacity to
build such infrastructure.
Firstly,
Zambians need to understand what a toll gate is, how a toll gate is built and
how it operates.
Secondly,
to the average Zambian, having to pay for a service that is generally perceived
to be free seems to be an absurd thing.
Why
should one pay for a road when they want to move from one place to another. To
understand this one needs to know what a toll road is.
This is
a privately or publicly built road for which a driver pays a toll (a fee) for
use.
To build
roads costs billions of kwacha.
Tollgates
are necessary as the money raised from this will be used to maintain the roads
and assist us in meeting the demands of social services.
Toll
roads therefore will reduce the total net cost to the economy, ensuring greater
opportunities for prosperity and growth.
ADVANTAGES OF TOLLGATES
Procurement and dedication of funds: Toll
road schemes are more costly for road users than obtaining funds through
taxation or a fuel levy, but the funds can be obtained much sooner.
It is in
short a self-generating form of income, the Zambian Government will play a moderating
role and just ensure the laws are adhered to and roads are safe.
Improved road: The road is usually upgraded and
expanded before it is tolled. This expansion provides increased capacity and
thus reduced congestion.
The
upgrade of a road generally also improves the safety and decreases accidents.
Expansion of roads like the Great North and Great East Roads in this regard
would be a good thing.
Tolls
also act as a form of congestion charge. It rations the use of the road to
those with the highest need to travel.
Job creation and gross domestic product
(GDP): Toll roads can significantly increase Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
over the lifetime of the project. A toll road project leads to direct
(constructors, builders, architects) and indirect (toll road attendants,
ambulance services at toll points, casual workers) job creation.
We are so
much in need of job creation in Zambia as the population is ever-increasing.
Encourage the use of public transport: Government
will make revenue if they are to invest in the public sector like a modern
train service and bus service because people will use them to avoid unnecessary
toll fees.
This is
a spill-over effect of tollgates.
Other
major advantages of toll roads relates to funding, road condition and job creation.
Disadvantages
The
disadvantages of toll roads are mostly related to user reactions. An increased
load might be imposed on the alternative routes due to traffic diversion.
Public transport will not be advanced, since toll roads encourage public vehicle
use.
It has
been revealed that society generally reacts negatively towards toll roads in
the first few years after implementation. This is because the public finds it
difficult to pay for things which were originally provided for free of charge.
Tolling
is experienced as a sudden real expense, while the savings in running costs,
services and saved time are not immediately notable. As soon as users get used
to the tolls and realise the benefits, their attitudes will improve
drastically.
The advantages far out-weigh the
disadvantages so it tells us something
Why do I pay taxes and now also tolls? When we
pay taxes the money is used for the service which government renders to us all.
Taxes are used to pay for these services, whether we make use of all of them or
not.
Tolls on
the other hand, will pay only a portion of road that we use in other words it
is a user-fee. Toll fees are used directly on the road, which is a benefit to
the motorist.
Taxes
will not be used to fund a toll road and therefore this will reduce the tax
obligation of the individual.
Why do we have to pay tolls on an existing
road, which was paid for out of taxes?
Road
performance depends on how, what and when maintenance is performed.
Roads
deteriorate over time due to environmental influences such as weather, ultra-violet
radiation, overloading etc.
Tolls
are not levied on the value of the current asset (road), but only on the
initial and future improvements, including operations and maintenance. Funds
derived from taxes are used on other things.
What will the toll fees be used for?
The
tolls collected on a specific road will be used to, inter alia, and repay the
loans obtained to finance the building, upgrading or improvement of the road.
In addition, it provides a dedicated on-going revenue stream, which enables the
road to be adequately maintained and improved, independent of tax based
revenues.
What do I get from using a toll road?
Toll
roads are built and maintained to the highest possible standards. Therefore,
you are assured of a smooth ride, saving you on the running costs of your
vehicle and saving you time. Improved security ensures you a safe and pleasant
journey.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Zambians should understand four
realities about the transportation infrastructure situation facing us.
Firstly, the time for continuous expansion of the capacity of road networks is
reaching saturation point and new ways of managing traffic and infrastructure
should be implemented.
Secondly, public funds are not enough to sustain
or maintain roads at the current or anticipated future levels based on the
prevailing interest to expand traffic and the road network.
Thirdly, borrowing to build and operate a heavily
subsidised transportation infrastructure is not sustainable. Fourthly,
the rapid expansion of fleet of cars on our roads is simply unsustainable.
Zambians should actually learn from other
countries such as South Africa and Morocco which have some of the best roads world-over.
Edwin Hatembo Jr.
(The author is Zambian student doing a course in
International relations in South Africa.)
For
comments/other contributions call: 0955431442, 0977246099 or email:
jmuyanwa@gmail.com.
Ends…
No comments:
Post a Comment