E-toll benefits being ignored: Sanral
The South African National Roads Agency (Sanral) says that a number of key benefits to e-tolling are being ignored in the current debate about the user pay system.
An e-toll advisory panel is currently investigating the impact of the e-toll system in Gauteng, hearing submissions from a number of stakeholders, including the National Automobile Dealers Association (Nada), JPSA, Outa, and Business Unity South Africa (Busa).
Sanral said last week that it would not make a presentation to the e-toll review panel, while Transport minister Dipuo Peters reportedly told Eye Witness News that the advisory panel on e-tolls does not have power over national government.
Peters reportedly said that the national government would not change its position on the controversial e-tolling system.
In a statement on Tuesday (9 September), Sanral spokesman Vusi Mona said: “As Sanral we have research which shows that the Gauteng highway network is beneficial for motorists.”
“There are cost saving, technological and fiscal benefits which led us to believe that tolling remains the best and most sustainable way to pay for the upgrading and maintenance of this national road.”
He called it “regrettable” that the current dispute around the system has halted further upgrades on the network which will eventually negate these benefits.
“We don’t want to be scaremongers, but the reality is traffic volumes are again building up and we fast approaching unsustainable congestion levels which will cost the Gauteng economy.”
Mona said previous studies conducted by the Automobile Association and the South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry had revealed the huge costs for both motorists and the economy associate with congestion.
Among the benefits of the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project which have been highlighted previously are:
- Increased road safety thanks to Sanral Intelligent Transport System (ITS);
- A decrease in congestion; and
- A drop in travel times on the road, which have resulted in the added benefit of cost saving for companies and individuals who are now able to spend more time at work as opposed to on the road.
The agency pointed to a study conducted in 2012, by TomTom which showed that the upgrading of the inner Gauteng highways, the first phase of the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project (GFIP) had led to a considerable easing of congestion.
However the latest Index, released in 2013, showed that Johannesburg is again the most congested city in South Africa and the 20th most congested in the world.
Vusi Mona
This, Mona said, is as a result in delays of further upgrades to other roads identified as part of the GFIP project.
“Toll roads ensure a high quality road network. In addition to contributing to improved road safety, they generally reduce travelling distances and result in substantial savings on the running costs of your vehicle and much valued travel time,” Mona said.
“The user‐pay principle represents a fair and precise way of paying for transportation facilities.”
In addition to this the ITS makes for constant monitoring of road conditions, traffic flows and motorists’ behaviour and rapid reaction when something does happen on the highways.
“These benefits would not exist if not for e-tolling and while we understand that is has become a sensitive issue we would call for level heads when weighing up the pros and cons of the system,” Mona said.
More on Sanral and e-tolls
Sanral e-toll panel no-show no loss: JPSA
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