Chronicle Editor
Andile Tshuma, Showbiz Correspondent
If you are a frequent traveller on the Beitbridge-Bulawayo highway, the Esigodini tollgate must have surely humbled you at some point, especially on a late Friday afternoon or Sunday around the same time.
In the event you are travelling on the Harare-Bulawayo road, good luck with the Norton tollgate. Always be ready to spend around 30 minutes there.
There almost always has to be a challenge at our tollgates. If it’s not network glitches, the problem has to be change (loose money). If it isn’t change, the system has to be down, or painfully slow. It has become a really rare occasion, one which calls for a celebration, to have a long trip and pass a couple of tollgates on the highway without any issues or delays, and without being stuck in queues for ages.
Tollgate queues are often at their worst at the beginning and end of the weekend. Avoiding Friday and Sunday travel could work if one wishes to significantly reduce the minutes spent while waiting in line to pay toll fees.
Zimbabweans have been taking to social media platforms to express their repugnance at the long queues and poor service at the tollgates along the country’s highways.
“Tollgate queues have now replaced fuel queues, confusion is reigning supreme. This is terrible. Forty five minutes or more at each tollgate. It now takes five-and-a-half hours to travel from Mutare to Harare from the usual three-and-a-half,” said one Tendai Tsiko on Twitter.
Another motorist on the same platform, Garikai Moyo, said he observed queues of up to a kilometre at the Norton tollgate along the Harare-Bulawayo road.
Other motorists have been calling for authorities to put in place, separate pay points and queues for cash and electronic payments for better convenience.
“The most frustrating tollgate is Esigodini. Something needs to be done. You spend at least 20 minutes in the queue,” tweeted Lucky Thwala.
“Zinara, we are being greatly inconvenienced at your Rusape tollgate which is almost always offline for electronic payments. We have just resorted to converting our US in the queue at a poor rate out of desperation,” said one Samuel Chitare.
Other motorists said some of the toll attendants seem to never be in a hurry to serve motorists.
If tollgate queues are a menace during ordinary weekends, imagine how it is going to be like during the festive weekend.
The holiday season, a time for exciting road trips as people travel far and wide to be with loved ones, is upon us. Due to long tollgate queues, the holiday road trips may not be as exciting and without careful and clever planning, may be a source of frustration.
The worst days, on prediction, could be Unity Day, Christmas Eve, Boxing Day, New Year’s Eve and January 2. Good luck on the road.
The other downside of tollgate queues is that they also tend to stir road rage among motorists. After waiting long in the queues, some people feeling so much in a hurry would want to overtake every car as they leave the tollgate.
One of the best ways to deal with this predicament is to mentally prepare yourself for the queues and to anticipate that you may wait for a while.
If the queues are that long, and if they are moving at a snail’s pace, it’s probably the opportune time to take a bit of rest, shut your eyes for a few minutes, have a snack, drink some water, stretch or take a selfie. Going out of the car may seem a bit dramatic, it’s not necessary.
Avoid racing with other motorists as you leave the tollgate. Avoid confrontation as some motorists are always looking to pick a fight. You aren’t going to the same place, you are strangers after all. It’s just not worth it.
If you are in public transport, such unnecessary stops make the journey seem extra longer and uncomfortable, it’s best not to concentrate on the wait. Try to keep the mind occupied by reading a book or listening to music that will keep you calm.
Zinara has been known for issuing apology after apology on network glitches and system shutdowns at its tollgates around the country. However, of late they have been trying. Just this week, they issued a statement advising motorists on the convenience of toll fees prepayments.
“We’re experiencing network fluctuations at most toll sites and we encourage motorists to make use of the Zinara tolling cards and pre-funded EcoCash platform for your convenience,” wrote the country’s roads administrator.
The good news is that people can now pay their toll fees two hours before they get there. It is indeed a relief, and it will hopefully ease the congestion.
Another way to contribute to better experiences for all at the tollgates is to have a back-up plan. Don’t only rely on your bank card or EcoCash. Find hard cash for the tollgates. If you want to use forex, ensure that you have change, or smaller denomination notes. If 20 of you bring 20 dollar bills, the cashiers can’t work magic to find enough change in good time so ensure you have small change for the tollgates as this can save some time.
Or better still, get a Zinara prepaid tollgate card at Zinara provincial offices that you load before travelling. But be advised that your vehicle’s registration details will need to be captured on the prepaid card and trying to use it on an unregistered vehicle will not work.
Happy holidays, enjoy your travel and drive safely to arrive. – @andile_tshuma.
derick.khumalo