More than two-thirds of Gauteng drivers have not or will not buy an e-toll tag, a new survey has revealed.<\/p>\n
Released on Friday, the study found that 72 percent of drivers in the province disagreed with the entire concept of e-tolling.<\/p>\n
“The numbers in our survey simply confirm… opposition with the intended non-co-operation of Gauteng drivers,” said the researchers.<\/p>\n
The survey was conducted by the marketing firm Ipsos before an interdict halting e-tolling temporarily was handed down in May this year.<\/p>\n
In a similar poll done last year, 69 percent of drivers questioned said they would pay e-toll fees, provided that the fees were affordable.<\/p>\n
This was prior to the release of the final tariff rates.<\/p>\n
In the latest study, almost 64 percent of the drivers believed the tariffs were unreasonable, even taking into account the discounts for frequency and time of day.<\/p>\n
Ipsos said 63 percent of the drivers wanted the government to find an alternative to e-tolling.<\/p>\n
“Support for the system has dwindled to a very large extent. One could speculate this is a result of a few factors, such as the prospect of the system actually being implemented, the bad publicity around the system and the unfortunate miscommunication of the project from its inception.”<\/p>\n
In a separate statement, SA Road Federation (SARF) came out in support of a mixed approach to finance the country’s roads.<\/p>\n
Spokesman Malcom Mitchell said about 95 percent of costs should be financed through general taxes.<\/p>\n
Heavily trafficked and expensive roads such as Gauteng’s upgraded freeway system should be financed through charging users.<\/p>\n
“The public does not object to being billed directly for utility usage, nor for paying a portion of its education and medical costs directly,” he said.<\/p>\n
“Why then does it object to paying a portion of road costs on the basis of usage?”<\/p>\n
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