Stop arbitrary toll on highways

The central government should take steps to stop local authorities from imposing highway toll arbitrarily, says an article in Zhujiang Evening News. Excerpt:

The Shenpan Highway that connects Shaanxi and Shanxi provinces is only 600-km long. But it can take up to 12 hours to cover that short distance because of the number of toll booths on the highway. In fact, there are twice as many toll booths on that stretch as the State allows. Inspection vehicles that collect fines by checking overloaded vehicles add to the problem because they almost always block the road.

Highways are built to make public transportation more convenient and faster, but some local authorities' arbitrary measures end up doing exactly the opposite.

Toll is charged at so many places on the Shenpan Highway because it is one of the main roads for transporting coal, and all related sectors of the administration want a slice of the toll cake.

Toll is collected from drivers to repay the amount used to build a road. But local authorities keep charging toll even after they have collected more than enough money to repay the amount. The problem for drivers using the Shenpan Highway is further compounded because authorities in Shanxi and Shaanxi both have set up toll booths.

The fine imposed on overloaded vehicles using the Shenpan Highway is also arbitrary, and almost all vehicles are accused of being overloaded because the inspectors want to collect as much money as possible. The fine doesn't deter vehicle owners, either, because they go scot-free after paying a certain amount as penalty.

On the other hand, if drivers have to pay a fine even when their vehicles are not overloaded, transporters cannot make profit by carrying coal to capacity. The toll collectors have thus built a vicious cycle.

Local authorities are not following State policies when they collect money to fatten their purse. The central government has indeed taken measures to deal with such issues, but they seldom work.

The lure of the lucre has prompted some local authorities to misuse their administrative power. This is something the central government should stop immediately.

(China Daily 10/29/2009 page9)