Day 1 of increased toll: Long queue of vehicles at two toll gates in Thane

Most people did not seem to be aware of the hike in toll rates, which caused confusion

On the first day of increased toll, Anandnagar and LBS Marg toll gates in Thane saw traffic during peak morning hours on Thursday. The traffic stayed jammed for over an hour despite the lockdown.

The traffic stayed jammed for over an hour despite the lockdown. (Praful Gangurde/HT Photo)

“The stretch of road that usually takes me hardly 10 minutes, took around an hour to cross. Not many were aware of the hike in toll prices which led to confusion and traffic in the morning hours,” said Satish Raje, a resident of Ghodbunder Road, who was travelling to Chembur via the Eastern Express Highway.

“There was slow-moving traffic but the situation was under control. Once people became aware of the hike in toll, the traffic returned to normal,” said a traffic policeman, requesting anonymity.

Jayant Mhaiskar, chairman and managing director of MEP Infra, which manages the toll gates, said, “We have deployed additional staff for toll collection; as people get used to the new rates, the situation will stabilise within a day or two.”