The government has finalised a draft national toll policy which proposes annual revisions to tolls for all vehicle categories based on the consumer price index.
If approved, sources say, tolls for all existing 13 categories of vehicles would be calculated based on the base rates fixed in the 2014 toll policy.
The draft policy, prepared by the Roads and Highways Department for all types of roads and bridges, has been posted on the Road Transport and Highways Division website recently for public comment.
While officials claimed no significant changes from the 2014 policy except for redefining categories and adding two new ones, analysts said the new policy would pave the way for annual toll hikes due to inflation.
"The draft policy is to make toll collection and management more transparent, modern and efficient by ensuring uniformity and avoiding frequent toll booths within short distances," said an official who preferred anonymity.
The draft toll policy 2023 proposes key changes primarily in three areas: infrastructure categories, lease periods, and technology adoption.
The draft redefines existing categories like highways and introduces new ones like expressways and border highways, catering to different road classifications and usage patterns. This addresses the limitations of the 2014 policy, which lacked these distinctions.
Besides, the draft proposes extending the lease period for toll collection systems from one year to three years.
The draft allows outsourcing of toll collection to address manpower shortages, subject to approval by the Roads and Highways Department (RHD) chief engineer.
To minimise inconsistencies and potential confusion for users, the draft says tolls for equivalent infrastructure types will be fixed nationwide, irrespective of location.
At present, the RHD collects tolls from some bridges. But with the inflated construction costs, the Dhaka Mawa road, which subsequently turned into an expressway, has been upgraded to a tolled expressway.
In the current toll policy, tolls are determined by per-kilometer rates for roads and by bridge length and width. The draft simplifies this by setting base tolls for different road categories: Tk 400 for major roads, Tk 300 for highways, Tk 200 for regional highways and border roads and Tk 100 for district roads. Vehicle tolls vary depending on category, ranging from 250 per cent (heavy vehicles like trailers) to 2.5 per cent (rickshaws, bicycles, motorcycles, and vans).
The 2023 draft also refines the definition of national highways, including those connecting to key economic zones or strategically important areas. Besides, it adds roads to be operated under the public-private partnership model.The draft mandates daily deposits of toll revenue instead of the current bi-weekly system.
This, along with the requirement for modern digital technology at toll plazas, intends to improve record-keeping, user experience and overall management efficiency.
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