Comply with new road tolls -GPRTU

28-01-10

THE National Vice-Chairman of the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU), Alhaji Tetteh, has advised members of the union to comply with the payment of the new daily road tolls that will take effect from February 1, 2010.
He said although the tolls were “too high”, members were duty bound to comply with the new rates, since they had been approved and passed into law by Parliament.
“Honestly speaking, the new tolls are too high. However, as citizens, we are duty bound to comply,” Alhaji Tetteh told the Daily Graphic in an interview.
He explained that with the increment, “it means that a commercial bus driver from Ho in the Volta Region will pay GH¢1 at the Adomi Bridge, GH¢1 at the Afienya Barrier and GH¢1 at the Motorway before reaching his destination”.
The new tolls followed an approval by Parliament of new road and bridge tolls under the Fees and Charges (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009, Act 793, which has been signed into law by the President.
According to an advertisement placed in the media, motorbikes which previously were exempted from the payment of tolls are to pay 10Gp; saloon cars which used to pay 5Gp are now to pay 50Gp, while pick-ups and light buses will pay GH¢1, from the 8Gp they used to pay.
The others are mummy wagons, GH¢1; heavy buses and light goods truck (two axles), GH¢1.50; medium goods truck (three axles), GH¢2; heavy goods truck (four axles), GH¢2; heavy goods truck (five or more axles) GH¢2.50; agricultural tractor, 50Gp and agricultural tractor with trailer, 50Gp.
Alhaji Tetteh, who is also the Chairman of the Greater Accra GPRTU, suggested that the tolls be paid once a day, instead of the number of times a driver used a particular stretch of road.
He indicated that the union should have been consulted before the new tolls were introduced, since drivers’ associations were major stakeholders in the transport sector.
“We are normally consulted on such matters but this time we were not consulted. However, once it is law, we are asking our members to comply,” he said.
Alhaji Tetteh said the GPRTU could not do anything about the situation, except complain.
He expressed the hope that the union would be consulted in the drafting of future road tolls so that it would be acceptable to all.
In an interview with the Daily Graphic on Monday, January 25, 2010, the Minister of Roads and Highways, Mr Joe Gidisu, explained that the increases in road and bridge tolls introduced by the government were intended to mobilise more resources for the construction and maintenance of roads.