Participating in a panel discussion on `Pune Metropolitan Traffic Problems and Remedies' organised by the Top Management Club (TMC)-Pune chapter on Sunday at Hotel Blue Diamond, he apprehended that the ``new expressway may run into rough weather'' due to the stiff resistance to the toll.

The Rs 1,500 crore project is being set up on the basis of the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) scheme by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) and is expected to bring about a drastic reduction in the accident rate. Its completion is scheduled by December this year.

The toll will help recover the cost of construction of flyovers as the MSRDC's entire resource generation is by way of market borrowings, Shrivastava said.

Calling for a serious rethink on the toll issue, Shrivastava insistedthat there was no other option for the citizens but to pay additional taxes.

``We will have to think in terms of an increase in road tax and even restrict the number of vehicles added every year. Moreover, the financial calculations of the project are enormous and even if the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation can fund its own projects, the Pune Municipal Corporation is not so fortunate,'' he said, adding that the citizens' participation was inevitable in meeting the costs.

The increase in vehicular population in Pune (higher than in Mumbai), and the improbability of introducing an underground railway system underlines the need to improve the public transport system, he said, suggesting that in order to reduce pressure on the roads, trucks and buses can be parked at the terminus and plied for a restricted number of hours.

An integrated package involving the railways, police and municipal authorities should be evolved towards easing traffic congestion, he said, adding that other measures likerestricting the issuing of licences to vehicle owners and computerisation of traffic management should also be resorted to.

He said an effort would be made to implement the Easterly bypass between Katraj and Loni Kalbhor.

TMC president Bahri B R Malhotra welcomed Shrivastava's suggestion and said people need to be educated on the benefits of such new projects which will be carved on a BOT principle and levy of toll.

He felt road users would not mind paying toll because a fraction of the savings will be achieved by saving fuel, avoiding wear and tear of vehicles and saving invaluable time.