Society

96% of roads in China to be toll-free

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2011-03-24 09:48

BEIJING - China's Ministry of Transport said on Wednesday that non-toll roads would account for more than 96 percent of the country's road mileage in the future.

Related readings:  Guizhou to invest 550-600b yuan on transportation  Highway fees set to decrease nationwide  Brother turns self in for evading huge toll fees

He Jianzhong, spokesman for the ministry, said that China is considering building two road networks: one that will mainly consist of low-charge but highly efficient expressways and another one made up of non-toll common roads.

The government would be responsible for financing the non-toll road network, while the funds for expressway-building projects would mainly come from bank loans and social funding, he said.

He noted that the function of toll roads include regulating traffic flow and optimizing transportation modes, not just raising funds for expressway projects.

"It's not reasonable to move large volumes of goods for long distances on roads. People should choose other means of transport, which shows the function of toll roads in optimizing transportation modes," He said.

Currently, China's roads transport 74.1 percent of the country's freight traffic and 94.5 percent of passenger volumes, according to data from the ministry.