THERE IS strong support for the Old Harbour bypass toll system which became effective on September 25, according to the latest Gleaner-commissioned poll.
According to pollster Don Anderson and his team from Market Research Services Ltd., more than half of the 1,000 persons from across the island who were interviewed, said the toll system was a "good idea and that they would support it."
The research was conducted from September 15 to 24 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.2 per cent.
But while 59.8 per cent of those interviewed said they support the toll, 14.7 per cent said it was not a good idea and that they were not prepared to use the road.
The strongest supporters of the toll road were upper-income earners and mostly males but "in general, all groups appear ready to embrace the road and to use it," the researchers concluded.
Seven per cent of those interviewed said the toll road was a bad idea and that they would not readily use it, while 16 per cent were unsure of their views on it.
ABOVE PROJECTIONS
Last week, Kingsley Thomas, the chairman of the National Road Operating and Construction Company, said the number of vehicles travelling on the by-pass was above projections.
According to him, records indicate that on the day the toll collection began some 9,600 vehicles travelled on the bypass.
The police say there has been an increase in the number of vehicles travelling through Old Harbour since the implementation of the toll.
The 14-kilometre toll road runs from Bushy Park in St. Catherine to Sandy Bay in Clarendon and is Phase 1A of the Highway 2000 project.
Class one vehicles (cars) attract a charge of $50, while class two vehicles (vans and large sport utility vehicles) pay $60. Class three vehicles (trucks) pay $120.
