Road tolls abolished
Use automated process to collect road tolls, Dr Adu Sarkodie
Avoid interpersonal collection of tolls, Economist
Senior lecturer at the University of Ghana, Dr Adu Owusu Sarkodie, has called on government to restore the collection of road tolls across the country.
According to him, government can mechanise road toll collection to generate more revenue for the country.
He indicated that the use of electronic cards is a better option to take money from road users.
Dr Adu Owusu Sarkodie furthered that this new strategy will work out because the same was implemented at the University of Ghana and functions properly.
He argued that Ghanaians cannot drive freely without paying a token to the state for developmental purposes.
Speaking on Asaase Breakfast Show on Monday, the economist said, “Reverse the removal of road tolls, get the road tolls back on the roads. I agree with the removal of the road tolls in the state in which they were. I have never subscribed to the collection of coins on the roads…I have always proposed that we should mechanise, automate the road toll, and the University of Ghana has given us a clear example of that, and if it can be done at Legon, it can be done in every part of the country,” Sarkodie told the host Kwaku Nhyira-Addo.”
“Bring the road toll back in a more efficient way to raise the revenue. We cannot be driving free on the roads like that. It must be paid for. So get the road tolls back, mechanise and automate it, reduce the interpersonal collection of coins and all that, make people buy the electronic card, government has ready cash at the beginning of the year and they can use it to construct the number of roads you want,” Dr Adu Sarkodie stated.
It would be recalled that Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, in the 2022 budget presentation before parliament abolished the collection of road tolls.
He explained that the move is to ease vehicular traffic at the toll booths.