FEWER motorists yesterday used Highway 2000, following an increase in the toll rates on Saturday.
While efforts to get official numbers from operators of the highway, TransJamaican, proved futile up until late yesterday, workers at both the Vineyard and Portmore toll plazas confirmed the reduction in traffic.
From early yesterday morning there was evidence that fewer motorists were using the highway. Every now and again, a vehicle passed through the Spanish Town toll booth while the traffic snarl that normally led up to the Portmore booth was absent.
"Yes it is a bit slower than usual this morning but it is not as bad as [we] anticipated," a toll booth clerk at Portmore told the Observer yesterday, adding that the closure of schools for the summer holidays could have caused the reduction.
Those motorists who used the toll roads seemed unfazed by the increases which ranged from 16.6 per cent to 66.6 per cent for all three legs of the highway. They paid their fees without complaining and went about their businesses.
However, in the case of Portmore, those who opted not to pay sat in long lines as they tried to get out of the municipality via Mandela Highway.
"Normally you might take some time to get out of Portmore but it is taking way much longer than usual and I know is because a lot of people not using the toll this morning," said Everton Brown, who waited in traffic for more than 40 minutes just to get onto Mandela Highway.
Brown said he could not afford the increased toll which would amount to $4,000 per month for the 20 trips he makes into Kingston each month.
— Ingrid Brown
