Photo by: Duane Daws
The City of Cape Town has hit back at the South African National Roads Agency Limited’s (Sanral) attack on the state of the Mother City’s roads, saying the agency is relying on a congestion survey to justify toll plans.
This after Sanral described the N1 and N2 as "virtual parking lots" after Cape Town was found to be the most congested city in the country in the recent Tom Tom survey of traffic conditions.
The agency blamed this on “years of under-investment in the road infrastructure” in and around the city, which has led to the increased duration of morning and afternoon-evening peak traffic lockdowns.
Mayoral committee member for transport Brett Herron said in opposing the tolling project and conducting its current litigation, the City was acting responsibly.
He told News24 that it is “incredibly alarming” that Sanral was now apparently “relying on a congestion survey... to justify their project”.
“Sanral is being reckless by pursuing [it] despite obvious evidence of the impact on our city and regional economy, and the risk on the national fiscus with regard to the guarantees it intends to provide to the operator."
Necessary upgrades could be funded more efficiently and more cost effectively, he claimed.
“[Their] motive is to derive substantial profit from motorists who have used those roads for decades without paying toll fees and on the understanding that their fuel levies would be used appropriately to maintain the roads."
He said the city has already indicated sections of roads that would benefit from an additional lane to alleviate some peak-hour congestion.