E-toll horror: It’s started!
2011-11-08 07:33
ARE YOU READY? Sanral has urged Gauteng drivers to register for e-tolls before the first phase of tolling kicks off in February, 2012.
Gauteng and Limpopo drivers have been told to get ready for the first phase of the controversial e-toll project that is supposed to start in February 2012.
The SA National Roads Agency Ltd (Sanral) said e-toll account registration and e-tag distribution for the first phase of the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project (GFIP) officially started on Monday (November 7, 2011).
An agency statement read: "Sanral wishes to encourage all Gauteng e-road users to become e-toll ready in the most cost effective way, by getting an e-tag, registering an e-toll account, and fitting an e-tag to the inside of their windscreen."
E-tags cost R50 per vehicle but the deposit will be credited to the car's account, which can be pre-paid or settled monthly. The discs are available at Checkers, Pick ‘n Pay and Shoprite stores, along with customer centres in Gauteng shopping malls or along the tolled road. They can also be ordered online through Sanral’s website or through the call centre (0800 726 725).
N1 HIGHWAY FIRST
E-toll tags will be operational at the Bakwena toll plazas (the 95km of the N1 North from Pretoria north to Bela-Bela in Limpopo) from February, 2012. Those who choose to go without an e-tag will be able to pay their tolls by registering their licence plate number or buying a day pass.
Special arrangements have been made to register e-toll accounts for fleets; certain commuter buses and taxis will be exempt from tolling, although application for the exemption is not yet open.
The e-toll account registration drive follows recent news that the department of transport said tolling of the country’s roads would remain suspended. Transport minister Sibusiso Ndebele ordained on October 23, 2011 a halt to all road project processes related to the tolling of national roads.
SUSPENDED TOLLS
Spokesman Tiyani Rikhotso said the suspension included the planned second phase of the GFIP in the Cape Winelands and along the Wild Coast.
Rikhotso said the state Cabinet had already pronounced on phase one of the GFIP when it released its revised fees. The Cabinet agreed that light motor vehicles would pay R0.40/km, medium vehicles R1/km, "longer" vehicles R2/km and motorcycles R0.24/km.
Rikhotso said Ndebele would request the incoming board of directors of Sanral to prioritise the resolution of the financing model regarding the cost of GFIP phase one, amounting to R20-billion.
