The Roads and Highways Ministry is computerising toll collection to plug leakages and check corruption in accounting for money collected from vehicles that use the roads. The new computerised system, whose piloting begins on the Accra-Tema Motorway on Tuesday, September 1, is also to modernise the toll collection system in the country.

Speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Accra on Monday, Mr Joe Gidisu, Minister of Roads and Highways, explained that upon reaching the toll booth centres, drivers would have to drop their correct toll fees in the booths manned by human beings, following which a bar crossing the road would automatically open for the vehicle to cross. Mr Gidisu said vehicles that used the roads regularly would be sold tickets with specific validity periods recognised by the computerised system and would be allowed passage for the period. He said a task force would be set up to help operate the system on other roads in the country, adding that by the close of this year the new system would ha ve been operational at all toll centres throughout the country.

He said back-up measures were in place to check traffic congestion but added that due to the nature of the new system, traffic congestion would not occur.

"Under the new system, it is only vehicles belonging to the Ghana Armed Forces, Ghana Red Cross Society and ambulance service, diplomats, Prisons Service and the Ghana Police Service that are exempted from paying tolls. All other vehicles, including those of Ministers of State and cars from the Castle will have to pay."

Mr Gidisu said companies that were operating the manual system, which was being phased out now, were not paying money being collected into the Road Fund, thereby making the Fund inadequate to support road construction.

He announced that toll collection centres would be set up on all major roads to prevent the concentration of such centres on just some parts of the country as was the case now.

Mr Gidisu said toll fees were meagre, adding that a legislation to approve an increase had been submitted to parliament and would soon be passed.

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