Western Cape gets ready for tolls

Gauteng residents up in arms over “exorbitant” toll tariffs may find some allies in the Western Cape where the provincial government is looking at implementing the toll system sooner rather than later. According to Robin Carlisle, Western Cape MEC for Transport and Public Works, the provincial government formally approached the South African National Roads Agency Ltd (Sanral) three years ago to have a toll system implemented in the province. “Tolling is a complex subject that evokes emotional responses from people. We believe it is a system that will benefit the Western Cape, and Sanral has already done a major economic impact study. The provincial government is in the process of doing a similar study,” he told delegates at the Transport Forum at the University of Stellenbosch recently. He said Sanral and the Western Cape government were involved in talks around tolling the province and they were already close to the point where tenders would be going out. “We have yet to decide exactly where the tolls will be and what fees will be involved, but the plan we are looking at includes this as well as the development of some new roads. We understand that while tolls can be a financial burden on road users, there is no doubt that the principle of tolling works.” He said unlike Gauteng, the province would not be looking at a high-speed rail link such as Gautrain in the immediate future. “The Gautrain project took a major chunk of the budget at the cost of hospitals and schools and other parts of the economy. That is not going to happen in the Western Cape as we believe in looking at the big picture.” He said while a highspeed rail system for passenger transport was not being ruled out as yet, it