Roadblock rage

A roadblock at the Linksfield Road on-ramp to the N3 on Thursday morning caused panic among motorists.

When the News visited the area at around 11am, officers from the Gauteng Traffic Police were pulling motorists off the slipway.

Among the convoy of vehicles used, was a South African National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) branded vehicle and trailer.

Justice Project South Africa (JPSA) previously said these roadblocks, set up by Gauteng Department of Community Safety officers contracted to Sanral and using Sanral-branded e-tolls trucks in multiple locations around the GFIP, caused a flood of enquiries from motorists.

It was initially believed the roadblocks were used to check for false, cloned, altered, obscured and missing number plates.

Following the appearance of the first roadblocks, came reports that motorists were stopped and questioned on why they did not have e-tags, why they were using the e-roads without e-tags and had their name and identity number recorded.

“Unfortunately, the presence of Sanral’s heavily branded orange e-toll trucks at all of these exercises has created what can only be described as a “mass panic” among motorists, many of whom have assumed they are there to enforce outstanding e-tolls,” the JPSA said in a statement.

Motorists are asked to take note that the acquisition of an e-tag is a personal choice and not a legal requirement.

In January 2012, when the NEWS first reported on Sanral’s presence at various roadblocks, the entity dismissed the exercise as a hoax.

“Sanral would like to unequivocally state that no staff from either Sanral or its toll operator, ETC, have conducted any roadblocks as described in the emails and social network postings that allege this,” said the spokesperson for Sanral, Mr Vusi Mona.

Sanral requested motorists to report such incidents to the relevant authorities or to its fraud hotline on 0800 204 558 or sanral@tip-offs.com.

“Sanral’s investigations suggested the original Twitter incident possibly originated from a road user who saw e-toll workers conducting a road-marking operation, and interpreted that as some form of e-toll roadblock. Although traffic cones and a vehicle were present, it was part of a road-marking operation and not for forcing people to register,” said Mr Mona.