AfricaPress-mozambique: Although a journey on the Maputo Ring Road might mean going through two tolls (in the same direction), motorists will only have to pay once, presenting proof of payment at any second toll that they might have to pass.
Such was the guarantee offered by the chairman of the board of directors of the Mozambique Road Network (Revimo), Angelo Lichanga, when asked about the operating guidelines to be implemented at the four booths currently under construction.
To make this possible, Revimo will install a communication system, and, taking into account the origin-destination principle, that is, the user only pays one toll, benefiting from free transit at the next toll (bypass), provided that it is in the same traffic direction and within a certain period of time.
“On the Maputo Ring Road, the user will pay at one toll, benefiting, at the next, and in the same direction, from free transit. For example, those leaving Avenida Marginal bound for Marracuene will go through two tolls (Costa do Sol and Zintava). In this case, the user pays at the first (Costa do Sol) toll, and at the next toll will have free passage,” Angelo Lichanga explained.
The toll fees charged on the Maputo Ring Road will only be used to finance the maintenance of the infrastructure, as the fees to be charged are not calculated to repay the debt incurred in building the road.
They are seen rather as a form of participation by users of the road in the process of its sustainable management.
“The general principle for setting toll rates for road infrastructure is to ensure their sustainability, taking into account the investment costs, maintenance costs and operating costs of toll stations. However, in the particular case of the Maputo Ring Road, the recovery of investment costs was not considered in the calculation of toll rates, so as not to increase the fees to be charged. On the other hand, in road toll programmes, governments generally take into account the impact of tolls on the cost of transport, both for individuals and for companies, therefore adopting measures to mitigate such impacts,” Lichanga said
