Object to the North-South Toll Hike

To the Members of the Toll Authority,

I am writing as an ordinary Jamaican road user to formally object to the proposed North-South Highway toll increases published on July 16, 2026 by the Ministry of Energy, Transport and Telecommunications. As someone who depends on this corridor driving a Class 2 (SUVs/Pickups) vehicle, I do not believe the proposed rates, or the five-day comment window attached to them, reflect what households and small businesses on this island are actually able to absorb right now.

Concretely, the concessionaire is asking for J$2,610 each way for Class 1, J$5,220 for Class 2, J$7,830 for Class 3, and J$1,305 for Class 4 on the Caymanas to Ocho Rios run. In round-trip terms that is J$5,220 for a Class 1 car, J$10,440 for a Class 2 vehicle, and J$15,660 for a Class 3 vehicle before a single litre of fuel is bought.

My core objection is the Class 2 multiplier. At roughly J$158 to US$1 across the 66.14 km Caymanas to Mammee Bay segment, Class 1 already sits at about US$0.25 per kilometre. Class 2 lands at roughly US$0.50 per kilometre, a full 100 percent markup over Class 1. Many Class 2 vehicles on Jamaican roads are personal SUVs and pickups used for school runs, commuting, and family travel, yet this schedule prices them as if they were commercial haulage. Most major toll systems abroad, from the Pennsylvania Turnpike to the axle-based motorways across Europe, treat a two-axle SUV or pickup under standard height as Class 1, or apply only a small marginal premium. Doubling the rate the way this schedule does is out of step with those international norms, and the 2026 proposal, by preserving the multiplier, locks that discrepancy in.

Context matters here. Over roughly the last two months, Petrojam's weekly notices have added on the order of J$11.46 per litre to E-10 87, J$11.44 per litre to E-10 90, J$21.50 per litre to automotive diesel, and J$30.24 per litre to Ultra Low Sulphur Diesel, with the largest single jump taking effect on July 16, 2026. Approving these toll rates on top of a fuel curve rising that quickly, in a country where the cost of living is already high, is a hard ask for ordinary households and for the small operators moving goods on this route. A large share of Class 2 personal SUVs and pickups on Jamaican roads run on automotive diesel or ULSD, so the same households paying the 100 percent Class 2 toll markup are also absorbing by far the largest fuel-price move.

The knock-on effect on families, commerce, and leisure is what concerns me most. Commutes, school runs, and weekend travel all become more expensive. Goods moving between Kingston and the north coast become more expensive. Tourism and hospitality operators pay more to reach the visitors the country is actively trying to attract. In a period where the cost of living is already a national conversation, this schedule quietly worsens all of it at once.

The consultation window itself is a problem. Five days between publication of the notice and the close of public objections is not enough time for a change that affects daily commuters, small businesses, and the movement of goods across the island. A proper consultation period should be part of any rate application of this size.

I respectfully ask that the Authority decline to approve this application at the maximum proposed levels and instead use this cycle to review the Class 2 multiplier relative to Class 1 as a standing part of any future adjustment, benchmarked against international practice on two-axle personal vehicles. The interaction with the July 2026 Petrojam fuel adjustments, and the adequacy of a five-day public comment window for a decision of this size, should be part of that same review, so that the corridor remains accessible to ordinary Jamaicans.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,
[Your Name]