The day that will make some South African car users residing in Gauteng not to remember is getting closer. That day will be when SANRAL finally start charging each car owner who chooses to make use of their national roads (see map below). That day is somewhere in the second quarter of 2011.
View New Roads to be Tolled and Alternative Routes in a larger map
For those (including me) who argued that there will be an exodus of traffic to secondary roads as a result of the new Toll Road, here is what SANRAL had to say;
Van Niekerk - (Project Manager - GFIP ) noted that he did not believe that there would be an exodus to secondary roads once tolling was implemented, as there was “no magic alternative available to the road network”. Also, commuters tended to divert from new toll roads initially, but then always returned to the ease afforded by travelling on a toll road.
And the concern that the toll fees to be paid will increase transport costs?
The agency believed that “at least 50%” of users on the 185 km of upgraded highways would spend less than R350 a month on toll fees. Also, only 1% to 2% of users would pay more than R1 000 a month. CEO of SANRAL Nazir Alli denied that the toll roads will increase the cost on transport. Instead, he asserted, the agency will reduce the costs of transport by providing good quality roads.
How much of the other 47% of users will pay is unknown.....
How much will it cost per kilometer?
The final toll fee structure should be available for public consumption before the end of the year.
Any discounts?
Yes. Frequent users/Public Transport Operators and those who use the road off peak hours will get discounts but this information will be available soon.
How much will the tag be and who will carry the cost?
The cost of the tag is not known yet but the vehicle owners will carry the costs of the tag while SANRAL will be responsible for installing the technology to read them.
What if you don't stay in Gauteng?
According to the Arrive Alive web site - "Road signs will warn visitors to Gauteng to phone or visit the Customer Care centre to register or to obtain a Day Pass. Should a road user make use of the network without registering, they will receive an invoice and be given a set time to pay the toll fees. Should the toll fees not be paid within the set period, additional debt collection and enforcement actions will take place."
Sources:
http://www.businessday.co.za/articles/Content.aspx?id=122336
http://www.arrivealive.co.za/documents/GFIP_WhatUNeed2KnoReprnt.pdf
N.B These interviews answers where taken from the articles sourced. The author did not interview the respondents.
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