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E-tolling legislation still under consideration

20th September 2013

By: Irma Venter

Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor

  

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The South African National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) is awaiting President Jacob Zuma’s signature on the Transport Laws and Related Matters Amendment Bill before it can start the roll-out of e-tolling on Gauteng’s highways, says Sanral CEO Nazir Alli.

He says he does not know when the Bill will be promulgated.

Presidency spokesperson Mac Maharaj cannot provide a timeline for the possible implementation of e-tolling on Gauteng’s upgraded highways either.

He tells Engineering News that the Bill is “under consideration”.

“Once the President has made a decision, this will be communicated to the public.”

The Department of Transport says in a statement that Sanral is technically ready to implement e-tolling.

“We encourage motorists to get registered and get tagged in preparation for the launch.”

The department’s statement notes that it is confident that Sanral investigated “all possible funding options before deciding on e-tolling as a mechanism to service the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project”.

The proposed e-tolling cost structure allows for public transport operators to use the upgraded freeway system free of charge.

The department adds that 82.83% of Gauteng freeway users will pay a maximum of R100 a month once e-tolling is implemented.

Around 10% of users will pay R101 to R200, 4.03% will pay R201 to R300, 1.82% will pay R300 to R400, 0.63% will pay R400 to R450, and 0.59% will pay R450.

The monthly fee is capped at R450.

The figures were calculated using actual traffic data collected on the Gauteng freeway system.

E-tolling on Gauteng’s 185 km of revamped and expanded freeways was scheduled to start in June 2011, but has been delayed by legal action, fuelled by fierce opposition from the public.

Gauteng Roads and Transport MEC Dr Ismail Vadi emphasises that money for new roads is hard to come by.

Upgrading the 185 km of Gauteng freeways, currently under consideration for e-tolling, was only the first phase of what is to be a multiphase construction project, he notes.

At a price tag of R20-billion for the first phase, the next 200 km in the pipeline will cost “much more”.

“Do we have the money to do this? Where will we find the money to upgrade, maintain and expand roads?” asks Vadi. “If we do not find it, the current traffic network will degrade even further.”

Simply not building the required infrastructure is not the answer either, as this will “hurt the economy”.

Vadi says numerous roads are already under strain, including the N12 to Tlokwe, as well as the R59.

He says it is possible to “debate endlessly” about how road infrastructure should be funded, but emphasises that a rational approach demands the use of public–private part- nerships – as is currently the case with South Africa’s long-distance toll roads – as the State cannot generate the necessary financial resources to build all the infrastructure required.

Using a fuel levy to fund road infrastructure is also not sustainable, he states.

It may be an immediate solution, but considering the projected demand for road infrastructure in South Africa, it will not be sufficient in the future.

“If we look at the project infrastructure needed, just how much can we tap into the fuel levy? We need a sustainable funding model.”

In reference to the construction and maintenance of new infrastructure in South Africa in general, Alli comments that the country “has to deal with the elephant in the room”, especially as South Africa has a limited budget, already under pressure from the demands of social grants and numerous other subsidies.

“We need to be honest about funding. If we do not, we will not resolve the problems we face and the challenges we have.”

Edited by Martin Zhuwakinyu
Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor

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