Dubai: Truckers will have to pay toll fees only at the time of entering Sharjah or Dubai through Sharjah as the authorities concerned are all set to launch toll system for trucks in the emirates from May 1.
Gulf News' visit to the site of the toll gates on Sharjah-Al Dhaid bypass road revealed that facility has been installed only on one side of the road, which leads truckers towards Sharjah. They are free to use the road on the other side without passing through the toll gates, from Sharjah towards Al Dhaid, Masafi, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah.
"We will be charging the toll only from trucks entering Sharjah," Omran Al Khamiri, Project Manger of the Sharjah Toll System, told Gulf News on Tuesday.
Earlier, it was reported in the newspapers that truckers will have to pay toll on both sides of the road. "It is not true," he added.
Sharjah announced earlier this month that it would start charging a toll fee from truck drivers using the Sharjah-Al Dhaid bypass road, also known as the ‘truck road'. It will be mandatory for all truck drivers using Sharjah-Al Dhaid Road to divert to this particular road and pay a toll of Dh100.
Trial
Meanwhile, Sharjah Public Works Department, in cooperation with the Sharjah Police conducted a successful one week trial for the new toll system.
He said the trial period saw smooth traffic of trucks as there was no traffic congestion on the road.
"The trial was smooth and the maximum time taken to clear a truck the toll gate was 20 seconds," said Al Khamiri.
Around 4,750 to 5,250 trucks pass through the gates every day.
He said that electronic toll system would eventually replace the existing manual toll collecting system.
Truck weighing machines will also be installed on the roads and a maximum weight limit will be fixed for trucks to avoid road damage due to trucks being overloaded.
Information brochures in English, Urdu, Arabic and Malayalam are also being handed out to familiarise truck drivers with the toll gates.
Linked
Truck drivers are also advised to carry the specified toll fee, otherwise they will not be allowed to pass.
The toll controlled ‘truck road' is linked to the Sharjah-Al Dhaid highway on one side and the Sharjah-Masafi Road and Ras Al Khaimah-Manama road on the other side.
