Le549, 000 ($73.20usd) Set For 10-tyre Trucks
By Joseph S. Margai in Freetown, Sierra Leone
Public Relations Officer (PRO) of Sierra Leone Roads Authority (SLRA) Sorie Ibrahim Kanu has revealed that all 10-tyre trucks plying the Wellington-Masiaka road would now pay the sum of Le549,000 ($73.20usd), if they decide to pass through the installed three toll gates at Hastings, Songo and Masiaka.
The announcement comes after the project to widen of the Wellington-Masiaka highway being undertaken by the China Railway Seventh Group (CRSG), funded by the Chinese government with Sierra Leoneans to pay toll fees for it for a period of 27 years.
The government of Sierra Leone through the Sierra Leone Roads Authority (SLRA) has come up with an agreed price tag of five categories of vehicles plying the route.
This decision by government has left many Sierra Leoneans protesting against the fees. SLRA’s PRO Sorie Ibrahim Kanu, who was speaking to Groove 106FM in his office in Freetown, said they have come to a conclusion of collecting the toll fees by August 18, 2017 for five categories of vehicles.
“These categories include tricycle, taxis with five passengers, mini buses including jeeps, 30-passenger coach/medium size buses, and 10-tyre/heavy duty trucks. The tricycle will pay Le1,000 ($0.13usd) per toll gate, taxis with five passengers would pay Le2,000 ($0.27usd), mini buses and jeeps would pay Le4,000 ($0.53usd), 30 passengers’ coach would pay Le18,000 (2.40usd) and 10-tyre trucks would pay Le183,000 (24.40usd) per each toll gate,” he revealed.
He added that if all of these categories want to pass through the three installed toll gates they will triplicate the payment.
Citizens say the fees are too exorbitant considering the current economic situation in the country. They also said if they start to pay for the toll road, transport fares will automatically increase and it will affect the prices of goods in the market.
