Say long queues waste time, three stops on Peshawar-Faisalabad too much. PHOTO COURTESY: PAKWHEELS
They said that construction of new toll plazas creates more stops and wastes time.
Muhammad Aslam, a van driver plying from Peshawar to Faisalabad daily, said that in the past he used to pay toll at the end of his journey. But now he has to pay toll at three points - Islamabad, Pindi Bhattian and finally at Faisalabad, he added.
“Similarly, I have to join the queues for taking cards at the entry points of M-1 at Peshawar, then M-2 at Islamabad and finally M-4 at Pindi Bhattian,” he explained how toll booths waste time and energy.
Another driver Asif Ali Khan, who travels daily from Attock to Islamabad and back said it was common to see long queues at the make shift tool plaza on the exit of M-1.
A commuter often travelling between Faisalabad and Islamabad said that the additional toll plazas had added to traffic mess. He wondered as to what was the need to create problems in the smooth journey of the road users.
When contacted, the National Highway Authority Spokesman Kashif Zaman said that separation of M-1 and M-2 management has created problems in toll collection too.
He reminded that M-1 was handed over to Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) on built operate and transfer basis.
About the Islamabad toll plaza, he said after formal approval from the National Highway Authority (NHA) Executive Board, contract was likely to be awarded for construction of 16-lane Islamabad Interchange of Peshawar-Islamabad Motorway (M-1) soon.
He said the new toll plaza would be constructed at 300 meters distance from Fatehjang Interchange.
Presently a temporary toll plaza had been set up after segregation of M-1 and M-2 toll following handing over of M-1 to FWO on BOT basis.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 7th, 2017.
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