Sanral needs to give motorists answers
Last week the Opposition to Urban Tolling Alliance (Outa) released a 30-page document entitled E-tolling at an impasse, Transcending the Mess in Gauteng. The report argues that the e-tolling system was a "solution in search of a problem" and the South African National Roads Agency (Sanral) has failed the people of Johannesburg and Pretoria.
The lengthy report encourages road users to challenge Outa on their conclusions, with the chairperson of Outa, Wayne Duvenage saying, “It would come as a great relief to be proved wrong in our overall assessment. We do not like to imagine the scenario that we fear will unfold if the authorities fail to act and our interpretation and predictions prove correct.”
Motorists, both for and against the tolling system, are encouraged to read Outa’s report which goes into detail on eight critical success factors for any intelligent transport system, be it in South Africa or elsewhere. However, Duvenage argues that the e-tolling system in Gauteng fails on all eight points.
Nazir Alli, CEO of Sanral, has said on numerous occasions that, while there are a few glitches in the system, e-tolling has proved to be a success – and claims the roads agency is surpassing all expectations when it comes to the collection of tariffs from the system. Duvenage has argued that the statistics Alli has released in terms of the amount of tagged users and the amount being collected through the gantries is incorrect.
Alli is also constantly thanking tagged motorists for their compliance and acknowledges motorists who are not tagged, but continue to pay for their accounts. What is worrying is how these motorists came to the decision to get tagged and why untagged motorists are so willing to depart with their money.
Duvenage has said many tagged motorists are unhappy and many motorists who have paid to use the gantries are against the tolling system. Are they paying to keep their ‘good credit record’ or have they given into the system after the threatening SMSes and bills started trickling in? Duvenage notes in Outa’s report that tariffs for gantries closer to the suburbs of Johannesburg north are generally higher than those closer to more low-income suburbs. Why is this?
While in time the system might become a great success, right now the motorists of Joburg need answers. We will not roll over and play dead. The time for fighting for our rights has come. Sanral has much to answer for before the public places their trust in a system that, so far has proved to be in shambles.
Whether you are for or against e-tolls, one cannot help but notice there are massive flaws in this system.
!!!!! [i] To read the full report from Outa as well as the latest e-tolling stories, go to www.northeasterntribune.co.za
