Time for answers following e-tolling reprieve

The Road Freight Association (RFA) has welcomed the High Court decision to interdict the launch of e-tolling in Gauteng, allowing the matter now to be reviewed and heard in court. RFA spokesman Gavin Kelly told FTW the belief the organisation had held about e-tolling had been upheld by the court. The Opposition to Urban Tolling Alliance (Outa) brought an urgent application before the court to halt the implementation of e-tolling in Gauteng on April 30. Kelly said the RFA had maintained that something was intrinsically not right with the South African National Road Agency Ltd (Sanral) open-road tolling system. “The cost of implementing this system far outweighs the building of the infrastructure,” said Kelly. “And when you look at what came before the court last week it makes sense that the court has called for a review. We have a situation here where it is costing some R20.1 billion to collect R20 billion. How can that be right? The court hearing is a great day not just for organisations such as our own that have been opposing the e-tolling, but the people in general as their voices have been heard.” In his court ruling Judge Bill Prinsloo on Saturday said people were being held captive by the toll roads. He then interdicted and restrained Sanral from levying and collecting tolls. Kelly said the review would allow for answers to questions raised years ago. “Sanral has refused to answer some very important questions and when they have had to give documentation one has found pieces blacked out and pages missing. One has to ask what are they hiding,” he said. “Through this process we can maybe get some answers as to why they decided on an open road tolling system with an extremely expensive collections system.”