Carmel Tunnels has raised tolls by 16.5% sparking, among other things a Facebook protest joined by over 16,000 drivers.
This is the sixth time that Carmel Tunnels has raised tolls since it was opened in 2010. On its opening the toll for one section of the tunnels was NIS 5.70. Today the toll for one section was raised from NIS 7.50 to NIS 8.70. The toll for both sections, which cuts through Mount Carmel from the southern entrance of Haifa to near the Checkpost Interchange, has risen from NIS 14.95 to NIS to NIS 17.40. Traveling one section now costs NIS 26.10 for one section and NIS 43.50 for commercial vehicles.
One of the Facebook protestors wrote, "Don't travel in the Carmel Tunnels until the price returns to sane levels. Since the start of the protest I've saved about NIS 140 by leaving my home five minutes earlier. I expect to save NIS 500 by the end of the month and that's only because I'm not driving through the Carmel Tunnels."
Carmelton, which operates the Carmel Tunnels said, "Carmel Tunnels is a main artery of the city of Haifa that allows rapid, convenient and safe travel by cutting distances, saving fuel and time. Carmel Tunnels is a BOT project, operating through a range of agreements, contracts, and commitments that the company has taken upon itself in order to operate the project and serve its users in the most effective and safe way possible. Carmel Tunnels tolls including the dates and ways they are revised are implemented according to instructions in the concession agreement signed with the State more than 10 years ago. The tolls were revised accordingly on January 1."
Carmelton added, "We are following what people are saying after the revision of the tolls and seek to make it clear that using the Carmel Tunnels saves tens of thousands of liters of fuel each day and tens of thousands of unnecessary hours on the city's roads. Using the Carmel Tunnels reduces use of alternative highways in the city by hundreds of thousands of kilometers each day and significantly contributes to reducing polluting emissions and air pollution. All this is for the welfare of the city and its residents, and significantly improving their quality of life."
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on January 4, 2015
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