Gauteng road users will have a temporary reprieve from paying tolls as the muchanticipated Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project (GFIP) will not be rolled out in June as scheduled. Department of Transport spokesman Thami Ngidi said the new toll plazas would only become active once a decision about toll tariffs had been reached by the Minister of Transport who earlier this year suspended the entire toll tariff system as gazetted by The South African National Roads Agency (Sanral). Ngidi told FTW last week that the report, commissioned by the Minister, had not yet been finalised. “The Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project Steering Committee is still working on the report and has not handed it over to the Minister. They are hoping to finalise it by the end of May.” The new toll system, which will see 42 new tolls become active over a stretch of 185 km in Gauteng, was due to be implemented by June this year. No new date is now available. According to Ngidi, the tolls can only be activated once there is a decision on the toll tariff. “The Minister will not make a decision on the toll tariff until he has read the report. It is not clear when that decision will be. The Minister will take time to exercise his mind studying the report.” In the meantime the committee will meet with the various stakeholders who made submissions over the e-tolling tariffs
