As the Western Cape heads to court to start a battle to stop tolls, Gauteng has to concede defeat and ready itself to start paying for its new freeways. Tolling, in all probability, remains the biggest bone of contention in the domestic transport sector. There is no denying that the country has a transport crisis on its hands as it fights congestion and road maintenance backlogs while at the same time having to find the funds to design and build an upgraded and improved transport system. While President Jacob Zuma in 2012 budgeted a whopping R25.5 billion for the maintenance, refurbishment and building of new provincial roads over a period of three years, experts maintain it is only a drop in the ocean. The government, through the department of transport and the South African National Roads Agency Ltd (Sanral), has shown a preference for tolling. “Tolling roads allows us to increase capacity that will enhance safety, reduce vehicle operating costs, reduce traffic congestion and therefore reduce travel times, pollution and costs associated with travel,” said Sanral spokesman Vusi Mona At the same time the tolling projects make substantial contributions to the gross domestic product (GDP) of a region and create substantial direct and indirect jobs. Wayne Duvenage, chairman of citizens’ rights group Opposition To Urban Tolling Alliance (Outa), says there is no doubting the fact that society has overwhelmingly rejected tolling – in Gauteng at least – as too expensive, inefficient, unworkable and a most irrational waste of their money. “Outa has never denounced the benefit and need for the freeway upgrade, and neither has it argued that society does not need to pay for the upgrade. We have simply indicated that projects of this nature require the correct and meaningful public participation process to be undertaken – and with the best interests of society being considered at all times,” he said. In the Western Cape an urgent application to interdict Sanral will be heard on May 16 in the High Court in Cape Town. “We are determined that Cape Town will not become like Johannesburg where toll roads were constructed amid great controversy and with very serious concerns about a lack of proper consultation,” said a spokesman for the City.
