The Road Freight Association (RFA) says its members are as ready as they will ever be for the implementation of e-tolls in Gauteng. With the draft notices gazetted for the last time this week – offering 30 days for public comment – the South African National Roads Agency Ltd (Sanral) is hoping for an implementation date of August 1. Having initially set a July 1 startup date, Sanral was sent back to the public to call for more comment after Parliament rejected the final piece of legislation, stating not enough public consultation had taken place. According to RFA spokesman Gavin Kelly, the August date is based purely on the 30-day comment period and it would not be surprising if e-tolling was not implemented as any number of hiccups could still affect the starting date. But, it says, it has encouraged its members to be ready and many have already purchased and registered with e-tags. The caps for heavy vehicles have been established at R1750 a month for medium vehicles and R3 500 for heavy vehicles. At the best discount scenario heavy vehicles will be paying 81 cents per km toll, while the smaller and medium vehicles fees have been set at 75 cents per km. “These tariffs are much more acceptable to the industry if one considers that the initial figure we were given was around R3.50 per km for the heavies and R2 per km for the smaller vehicles,” said Kelly. “We believe this has been a significant win for the industry.” CAP FOR HEAVY VEHICLES: R3500
