Toll Charges and Confectionery Sales

These days, when you go on long drives you will invariably encounter a few, if not several, toll booths. In most cases, you dont mind paying the tab as it ensures a better ride for the stretch. There are of course stretches which make you wonder whether you are paying for building the road or for a cross-country experience complete with obstacles! But that is the matter for another post. This post concerns amount of toll charges and a possible explanation for their being an odd combination of numerals. Ever wonder why a toll charge is Rs. 84 instead of a rounded figure like 80 or 85. So while you dont mind paying the toll, what bugs you is the exercise of hunting for the right change and waiting in the line of vehicles while the toll collectors goes through his duties. Just look at the toll charges on the Mumbai-Pune Express way (inset picture) and you wonder why would anyone keep such odd numbers as the toll charges.

I dont think a bus would mind paying Rs. 250 instead of Rs. 247 OR the state would lose much money by collecting Rs. 410 instead of Rs. 411?! So then why? I have three possible explanations:

1. The toll collecting firm is bitten by the numerology bug. So by some strange calculation, 410 would have been unlucky and the traffic from Mumbai to Pune would have dropped 20%

2. The ministry for education realised that Indians are losing their image of being mathematical geniuses, and decided to tune up our brains by ensuring we did intricate calculations to get our right change back

3. Confectionery companies found this great way to beat the slowdown. So the toll booth hand out candies and mints instead of change. Everytime there is a shortfall in the budget, they promptly increase the number of odd digits in the toll charges across the country! (Imagine the surprise on the toll collectors face as my driver handed back the same chocolate on the return journey in place of the change!)

Do write back on which of the above is the main reason, or if you have any other explanation.

The Genesis

There are many facets to Roads and Rides. The issues concerning the conditions of roads in cities, are starkly different from the pleasures of riding on the picturesque road from Gangtok to Lachung. Technology to build Autobahns and the issues governing the policies of speed limits at 180 km/hr, is a totally different ball game from the slippery mastic asphalt roads built over Mumbai's eastern express highway leading to speed limits of as low as 40 km/hr on some parts. So, what is this blog about? Well, it does concern Roads and Rides, but will focus on city roads and issues to start with.

Living in a metro implies that one would spend a lot of time travelling - whether on work or personal matters. For several years now, I, like many other city dwellers, spend over a couple of hours travelling to work and back every day. And this journey is on the road. i.e. if we agree that it is worthy to be called a road. Time and again I have wondered whether this is the best we can hope for. Everyday I have seen fellow travellers on the long road (I travel 36 km to work) - some driving and some driven - patiently drudging away, negotiating all kinds of obstacles on the way. Some of us travel much more than this and face greater difficulties and hats off to those who have been bearing these appalling conditions - and have managed to retain their sanity.

This blog is a forum to share our issues, experiences, knowledge and techniques to ultimately improve the hours we spend on the road. Will it make a difference? Will things improve? As long as it makes a difference in the lives of few travellers, the purpose is well acheived. Read on.....