Smooth ride: Motorists elated over toll-free OMR
In a major relief for local residents, office-goers and students, the four toll plazas on the Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR) were closed from Monday. They were closed after the Metro Rail works commenced. Experiencing the convenience and also savings, the motorists are now urging the government to permanently remove the toll on this busy stretch.
Motorists who used the road frequently used to complain of long queues at the toll plazas, which cause traffic snarls. On Monday, they zipped past the plazas without any bottleneck as none had to stop to pay the toll.
Highways Minister EV Velu had announced in the State Assembly on August 28 that toll collection on OMR at four toll plazas — Perungudi on Rajiv Gandhi Salai, Thoraipakkam, Kalaignar Salai and Medavakkam Salai — would be discontinued from August 30. He cited the Metro Rail Phase 2 works along the OMR for the decision to close them. He, however, said the toll plaza at Navallur on OMR would continue to function.
K Govindan, a resident of Thoraipakkam, said the government should close toll plazas permanently and not just as a temporary measure citing Metro Rail works. “Why should we pay a toll for travelling within the city? If the toll is being collected, the road should at least be free of traffic snarls, with flyovers at all the junctions. But there are no flyovers on OMR,” he argued.
Aravindan, a taxi driver, said removing the toll plazas was a big relief as he could drive without getting stuck in the traffic congestion and also save diesel wasted when caught in snarls or while waiting time.
Sources in the Tamil Nadu Road Development Corporation (TNRDC) said that following the closure of the toll plazas, nearly 30 persons involved in toll collection and issuance of passes have lost their jobs. The revenue from the toll collection is used for the maintenance of the stretch and repayment of the loan apart from the salaries to those working at the plazas, they claimed.
It may be noted that DMK had sought closure of all toll plazas on OMR and East Coast Road within the city limits, noting that they were leading to traffic snarls and also that they violated the National Highways Fee Rules, 2008, that barred toll collection near city limits.