A claim circulating widely on social media that vehicles can cross toll plazas without paying user fees if the queue exceeds 100 metres or if a driver has to wait for more than three minutes has been clarified by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).
According to NHAI, there is no provision under the National Highways Fee Rules, 2008, that allows motorists to pass through a toll plaza without paying the applicable fee merely because the vehicle queue has exceeded 100 metres.
As per the rules, vehicles travelling on national highways are required to pay the prescribed user fee. Toll exemptions are available only to specified categories of vehicles and persons, such as ambulances, certain VIPs and eligible local pass holders, as provided under government rules. Details of such exemptions are also displayed at toll plazas.
What is the 100-Metre Yellow Line Rule?
The confusion appears to be linked to guidelines issued by NHAI in 2021 to manage congestion at toll plazas and improve vehicle processing time.
Under the guidelines, a yellow line is marked at a distance of 100 metres from each toll booth lane. The measure is intended to help toll plaza operators identify increased traffic and take steps to clear vehicles efficiently. NHAI had also prescribed a service time target of around 10 seconds per vehicle at toll plazas.
However, the 100-metre yellow line is not a provision granting motorists a legal right to cross the toll plaza without paying the applicable user fee.
Similarly, the claim that a vehicle can pass without paying toll if it takes more than three minutes to cross the toll booth is not a general exemption under the National Highways Fee Rules, 2008.
NHAI’s clarification seeks to dispel the viral social media claim and reiterates that toll payment requirements continue to apply unless a vehicle falls under a category specifically exempted under the applicable rules.