Growing China can afford to change highways to freeways
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[By Liu Rui/Global Times] |
The 3.68 million yuan toll evasion case has drawn attention, yet again, to China's extortionate toll system.
The Ministry of Transport defensively remarked Tuesday that more than 60 countries and regions worldwide use the same policy as China, and that "without the policy of road tolls, China's transport system wouldn't be as developed as it is today, and little progress would have been made in the building of roads in rural areas."
The policy of funding roads through loans and then paying off the cost through tolls was certainly critical in developing China's current highway system.
The public knows this and has shown great patience and cooperation in paying for road usage.
But now, special interests have distorted or manipulated the policy, producing unhappiness and chaos on the roads.
Most people don't have to pay as much as 3.68 million yuan in tolls. But it is common to see tollgates illegally set up on highways, overly high tolls, and even improper charges.
The Ministry of Transport rules that a toll station should be placed for every 40 kilometers of road, but in some places, there is one toll station every 20 kilometers or less.
Many highways run by the local governments are continuing to charge long after the loans have been repaid.
It is common to see some plans to keep charging for as long as 100 or even 756 years, well over the legal maximum of 55 years. On some roads, drivers are paying more in tolls than for gas.
Figures revealed by the National Audit Office in 2008 show that 16 provinces or municipalities have set 158 illegal toll stations on 100 roads, which resulted in illegal charges of 14.9 billion yuan ($2.26 billion) by the end of 2005.
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