JEDDAH, 13 March 2004 — The Shoura Council is expected to discuss tomorrow a much-talked-about proposal to impose a toll on users of the Kingdom’s expressways. The move could fetch an annual SR800 million for state coffers.
Transport Minister Dr. Jabara Al-Seraisry will address the 120-member consultative body to press for the toll as part of its efforts to find new revenue sources to develop and maintain the country’s expressways.
But sources close to the Shoura told Al-Jazirah Arabic daily that the council could reject the proposal and urge the government to look for other sources of income instead.
A study by a panel representing the ministries of transport, planning and finance proposed a toll of five to 15 halalas on users of expressways, depending on the type of vehicle. The study said part of the revenue could be used for the maintenance of existing roads and construction of new ones.
The Shoura debate comes after fierce opposition to the proposal from the public and transport companies. But economists said the measure would encourage the private sector to build and operate expressways, reducing pressure on the government.
According to previous reports, the toll would be restricted to new highways, where there will be alternative, slower roads, with private operators building them under the build-operate-transfer system.
But the Al-Jazirah report said the toll would cover the Jeddah-Makkah Expressway and the Makkah-Madinah-Expressway, two of the busiest in the country.
The Transport Ministry is planning to construct new expressways with a total length of 3,500 km. The ministry spends about SR550 million annually on road maintenance but needs to spend twice that.
According to Al-Jazirah, the Shoura may instead ask the ministry to fund maintenance by setting up rest houses and gas stations and installing billboards instead of putting a new burden on citizens.
The proposal was first submitted to the Shoura about a year ago and has been under study by its Financial Affairs Committee.
Saudi Arabia briefly levied a road toll from 1962 to 1963 and from 1988 to 1989, Al-Jazirah said.
