Published: 07 November 2013

The Government is consulting stakeholders on the proposal to introduce tollgates in urban areas and will have a position on the matter soon, the National Assembly heard on Wednesday.

The Government announced last month that it was considering introducing urban toll gates as a way of raising funds to finance infrastructural development, decongest the cities and reduce carbon emissions.

The proposed move has been met with mixed reactions, with town councils and urban development experts welcoming it while some motorists have rejected it, arguing that it would increase the burden on low income earners.

Other motorists have however welcomed the idea, saying it would decongest city centres. Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Dr Obert Mpofu told the National Assembly that the Government would soon have a concrete position on the matter once consultations with various stakeholders were complete.

"Consultations are being conducted throughout the country to come up with a clear policy on that issue," he said.

Dr Mpofu was responding to a question from MP for Nkulumane constituency Thamsanqa Mhlanga of the MDC-T, who had asked whether the government had come up with a policy position on the proposal.

The system has been successfully implemented in European cities like London, Stockholm and Oslo, where urban tolling led to the reduction of traffic, an optimized accessibility and a reduction of carbon emissions.

- New Ziana

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