Soon, Mumbai’s motorists could be paying a premium to drive into areas with the busiest traffic—like certain flyovers or South Mumbai’s business district.
The project, which seeks to encourage the use of public transport, will begin with a feasibility study of electronic toll collection to be conducted by Mastek, an international software solutions company.
Mastek has earlier designed the ‘congestion charging’ system for traffic in London, which has been operational since February 2003.
“This is the first step. It will make certain heavy traffic routes smoother if we charge a levy on certain elevated roads. It may also discourage additional car trips,” said Secretary (Special Projects) Sanjay Ubale.
A Mastek spokesperson said under the London Congestion Charging project, drivers entering central London—the congestion charging zone—pay a daily £5 fee payable in advance or face a £100 penalty.
Car owners who pay up have their registration numbers entered into a database while an extensive network of fixed and mobile cameras observes number plates of vehicles within the congestion charging zone.
Without tollbooths, gantries or barriers, drivers do not have to stop, the spokesperson said. Number plates collected by the cameras are simply checked against the database.