Dear Editor,

Effective July 1, 2023, toll road customers were subjected to increased toll rates, except for vehicles in classes one and three at the Portmore toll plaza.

Not surprisingly, many motorists expressed dissatisfaction with this decision. The argument came up a couple days ago, when a few of my colleagues who travelled by car from the Kingston Metropolitan Area to St Catherine each evening stated that it was ludicrous to raise fees now, given the increased fuel and maintenance costs.

Furthermore, they had to subsequently reroute to Nelson Mandela Highway — which is heavily congested by 4:00 pm on weekdays — instead of using the toll road.

I crunched some numbers and it revealed that the average percentage increase for the Spanish Town, Vineyards, and May Pen toll plazas were 10.91, 10.90, and 14.32, respectively.

Understandably, increases in toll prices are due to rising inflation rates and the Government’s obligation to settle the outstanding debt that comes with the construction and maintenance of the toll roads. However, annual price increases illustrate that necessary price ceilings are non-existent, which worries motorists. By definition, a price ceiling is a metric that keeps prices from rising above a level established as the highest point.

Thus, all things being equal, a known principle in economics is that if your prices go up, the demand for the product or service diminishes. So it would be prudent on first glance to say that the cost of taking the toll now far outweighs the cost of travelling on Mandela Highway in the late evenings, where you are sure to come across horrendous traffic. Not so! A close inspection shows that the rise in toll prices will eventually lead motorists to pay more at the gas pump. Being stuck in traffic for long periods is not fuel-efficient as the vehicle will be sitting in an idle position burning gasoline. The hybrid users may not have a problem as they have automatic start and shutdown engine systems when idle, but most vehicles still operate under the internal combustion system which is inconvenient to start and shut down manually.

Another underlying cost is environmental externality, which is the increased emissions of pollutants when vehicles sit idly in traffic, whereby these pollutants harm the environment and its inhabitants.

Conducting a cost-benefit analysis to find a one-size-fits-all solution is not so clear-cut as there are other superficial variables to consider internally and externally. Thus, in retrospect, it appears that being stuck in traffic for long hours actually hurts your pocket and health more than paying the toll.

The decision to increase toll fees by the Government of Jamaica is clearly unpopular with Jamaican motorists. My suggestion to solve this problem is to establish a five-year price ceiling for toll rates and locate other revenue streams to compensate for any shortfall encountered.

Dujean Edwards

Adjunct lecturer

University of the Commonwealth Caribbean

dujeanedwards@gmail.com