The South African National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) says that e-tolls is a possible future consideration for Cape Town, dependent on traffic volumes.<\/p>\n
The road agency however, dismissed as \u201cgrossly misleading\u201d statements by the City of Cape Town, Right2Know and others that it will implement electronic tolling in Cape Town, as it has in Gauteng.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhereas in Gauteng we went out to borrow money in order to build the road, with Cape Town we will be appointing a concessionaire on a Build, Operate and Transfer basis,\u201d said Sanral\u2019s head of communications Vusi Mona.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis means the concessionaire will design, finance, operate and maintain the road, returning it to the state in a specified condition at the concession period.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere will be conventional toll plazas along the N1 and N2. The electronic or automated method of payment, is a possible future consideration dependant on traffic volumes,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Sanral said that the upgrading of the Western Cape\u2019s N1-N2 Winelands highway road network is a major infrastructural investment.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is always Sanral\u2019s aim that the users of the new tolled facility, be it a brand new road or an upgraded existing road, will derive a real benefit when using that facility in comparison to what it was,\u201d Mona said. \u201cDoing so, requires funding.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSanral\u2019s allocation from the fiscus is about R10 billion per annum for the entire national road network and the N1\/N2 Winelands project requires just about that amount,\u201d said Mona.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe obviously can\u2019t allocate our entire budget to national roads that pass through one city. The fiscus is under pressure and we have to find alternative ways of financing road infrastructure.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sanral said that the projects will create 5,000 jobs during the construction phase of the N1-N2 Winelands project. Of the jobs created the majority will be for unskilled labour which will benefit members of impoverished communities.<\/p>\n
Sanral denies keeping tolling tender secrets<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Sanral \u201csecrecy bid\u201d heads to court<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n