Motorists who live close to toll booths will, from the beginning of this month, enjoy a five to 20 per cent rebate. This follows a plan developed by the Ministry of Roads and Highways, the Ghana Highway Authority and the Ghana Road fund for such motorists who have had to pay for tickets each time they move out of their homes. Under the system, motorists will be allowed to buy toll tickets in advance at a reduced cost, depending on type of vehicle. The acting Director of the Ghana Road Fund, Mr Francis O.M Digber, who made this known to the Daily Graphic in an interview in Accra, explained that the move had become necessary to reduce the financial burden on those motorists whom, he said, had made several complaints recently. He said residential apartments had been sited too close to toll booths and that had created a problem for motorists in such areas. A total of GH¢5.6 million has accrued to the Ghana Road Fund (GRF) following an increment in road tolls in February this year. The 29 toll booths across the country now generate about GH¢2.9 million monthly revenue into the fund instead of a paltry GH¢240,000 prior to the increment. The new rates took effect from February this year. Mr Digber expressed optimism that the increased revenue would ensure improved road maintenance for the entire country. Explaining the rationale for the increment in road tolls, Mr Digber said the previous rates charged were negligible, whereas road maintenance was capital-intensive. “We need the money to ensure that our roads are always in good condition,” he stated. With the new rates, a salon car now pays GH¢0.50 pesewas instead of GH¢0.05, and heavy good trucks with five or more axles pay GH¢2.50, instead of the previous GH¢0.50. Money from the fund is used mainly for routine and periodic maintenance of roads. Currently, the resealing of a one kilometer road is GH¢70,000, while rehabilitation of the same length of road is estimated at GH¢500,000. Fuel levy on petrol and diesel is also used to support the fund, which, according to Mr Digber, formed 94 per cent of the fund’s revenue prior to the increment in the road tolls. Other sources of revenue for the fund include vehicle licensing fees and international transit fees for foreign vehicles entering the country. The establishment of a road fund for the country became necessary in 1985 following a reduction in the government’s budget allocation for roads in the 1960s, which made it impossible for the authorities to sustain road maintenance. Soon, the road network started to deteriorate rapidly, since efforts made through normal budget allocations failed to provide adequate funding to clear the increasing backlog of maintenance. Following the automation of the Accra Tema Motorway toll booth, revenue mobilization has improved on that corridor with a monthly revenue generation of GH¢700,000. “We used to get GH¢56,000 but this changed to GH¢67,000 after the automation,” Mr Digber said and explained that it further increased to the current GH¢700,000 following the recent increment in road tolls. Source: Daily Graphic