N2 toll fight continues unabated

THE anti-toll road movement continues to fight its case to prevent a toll road being built on the N2. UIA, Toyota and SBP believe the proper legal process were not followed by Sanral.
For the last 12 years, the KZN government, communities and business leaders have been up-in-arms against the proposed construction of the toll gate in Isipingo, as part of the proposed Wild Coast toll road.
“It’s for economic reasons that we wish to oppose the building of the toll,” said chairman of the Umbogintwini Industrial Association, Ewan Alanthwaite.
In May the chairman of the KZN Portfolio Committee of Transport, Mxolisi Kuanda, told a committee that a decision had been taken at a strategic meeting of the transport department in Cape Town that no tolling would happen in KZN, in as far as the proposed toll road was concerned. “The proposed Isipingo toll road has been relocated to the Eastern Cape,” said Kuanda
Kuanda said that the province was already over-tolled and adding more toll gates would overburden the province.
“It has always been the position of the KZN government that placing a toll gate at Isipingo/Amanzimtoti will have a negative impact on the poor commuters and workers from the South Coast rural areas who commute daily to either Durban or to Isipingo. This would have pushed up the travelling costs of the poorest of the poor residing south of the city and put more pressure on their small financial resources.
“As the government, we have always said that putting more toll gates in the Durban area will cause further financial hardship for commuters and slow down economic growth. We therefore welcome the decision not to put any toll gate in KZN as part of this Wild Coast toll road,” said Mchunu.
Toyota, UIA and SBP have objected to and mounted a legal battle opposing the proposed toll road for the last 18 months. “We would like to get businesses involved and hopefully we can have finality by the end of the year,” said Ewan.