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Ihsaan Haffejee
The ominous coloured lights of a Sanral tolling gantry.
The Gauteng e-tolling system will save motorists money in terms of time saved, unlike an increase in the fuel levy, which will cause massive inflation.
This is the view of Dr Roelof Botha, an adjunct professor at the Gordon Institute of Business Science, who conducted an independent study into the benefits per cost ratio for light passenger vehicles that travel on the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project. The study was done this month.
FUTURE INFRASTRUCTURE
Botha said he was worried that putting the e-tolling project on hold or cancelling it altogether would put a stop to future major infrastructure projects in the country, and this had led him to conducting a study into whether the system did hold benefits for car owners. Botha said it was no secret that Gauteng was the most congested province in the country.
His comments seemed to be in line with recent findings by the IBM Commuter Pain Index, which measuring stress experienced in Joburg traffic, that the city was third worst in the world after Beijing and Mexico City.
But in the past year, with only a partially completed highway, stress levels have already dropped.
Dr Roelof Botha presents his findings on the Academic Study on Gauteng Freeways. Picture: Dumisani Sibeko
INLSA
“MAKING THE RICH POORER”
Botha said one of the major findings in his research was that high-income earners would pay for 94 percent of total toll fees paid. The researcher said this was very different to the idea that tolling would make the poor poorer. He said the figure was based on the assessment that passenger vehicles make up 92 percent of all users of the improved freeway. This figure also proved that food and retail goods would not increase in costs because of tolling.
Botha said his calculations said the electronic tolling had led to a huge time-saving for motorists that would lead to an annual benefit in productivity of R2.1 billion annually. He said this would go into the SA economy, leading to R26.5bn over 20 years and 5 percent inflation, “which is 32 percent higher than the total cost of the project”.
Botha conducted this analysis on the approximately R20bn spent to improve the roads and had not factored in the operating costs of the toll system that The Star has reported on. These costs could be as high as R14bn over eight years.
This cost benefit was far more beneficial than paying for the road infrastructure through the fuel levy as it could increase the petrol price by R1 a litre, causing an increase in inflation.
Botha said he hoped the toll system would go ahead immediately. -The Star
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Bielie, wrote
The only way that you can save $$$$ by using the e-toll roads, is by REFUSING TO PAY. How do I register my Quantum as a Taxi?
Confused, wrote
HOw can I safe money when it is an EXTRA expence???!!! Please explain that to me. I clearly don't understand...
Anonymous, wrote
Sanral took the best available routes and upgraded it. WOW. But we have no new roads, no alternative routes, no choice! Let them create completely new roads with these promises, keep our existing routes toll free. If the new toll roads are then beneficial to the economy let those people use the newly created routes.
Anonymous, wrote
Botha's obviously losing out on $ somewheresomehow upstream and is pissed-off about it... Gopa-Consultants (Germany + SA) and European Programme for Reconstruction and Development, advising developing countries to adopt e-tolling (KapschTrafficom), and fleecing the developing nations of $Billions. Botha is a IMFWTO "economic hitman", who's goal it is to pass-on fiat debt to the naive. New Age economist theory has screwed-up the USA and EU with their shenanigans. Botha is a minion simply serving his masters instructions...
Anonymous, wrote
Anonymous, wrote
In this picture I think he is saying TOUCHDOWN!! for SANRAL and my kickback for pulling this study out of my behind in an hour. Well done doc, you have just put yourself in the firing line, hope your payment and connections you made with the cadres was worth being disgraced every time you go in public and your colleagues now realise you either a blatant liar or just dumb and paid for your doctor title the same as some of our esteemed ministers and heads of Uni departments.
entmoot, wrote
So with price of fuel increasing the fuel levy increasing the RAF portion increasing, how am I saving money again with the etoll system? Food prices et c will be affected also therefore we pick up the industry costs. ?????
LUPERCUS, wrote
I don't know who Dr Roelof Botha is or what his qualifications are - perhaps B.Sc. (failed) Koswati University? What I do know is that he is obvious talking a great deal of rubbish. How can a toll levy benefit the public? Who already pay road tax in the petrol price, plus a couple of dozen other add on's. And when the ANC steal too much money each month it is recouped via the petrol price increase. Instant cash. Botha, I can suggest a very good Physciatrist who, at present, works solely with Jacob Zuma and Julius having much success with the other two.
Alf, wrote
You have to mention e-tolling to get South Africans hot under the collar. Surprisingly most people who say we will not pay will be the same ones who will be on a mad rush when they see police starting to take action. We are such cowards we would not even want to sleep in jail for three hours in defence of our principles. There is no way out of this mense, we are going to pay one way or the other. The first fuck-up happened with the approval of the project without checking the implications. At best we can campaign for the dismissal of officials or politicians who did not apply their minds when SANRAL sought approval for tjis project. I know it will be easier to fire officials than politicians.
Anonymous, wrote
Clearly Botha has not had a look at the demographics of the users of these roads. What an idiot!
Anonymous, wrote
Anonymous, wrote
Dr. Botha is missing something - not all people driving are rich and the only reason that people buy cars is purely for convenience and he is mistaken when he says that retail and food costs won't increase. I just wonder if he's not going to get a cut from this project.
Chris, wrote
Using the original toll tarifs that were announced, I would have paid R466 per month for travelling through 7 etoll gantries from Pretoria to Central JHB per day. That is equal to about one tank of fuel per month for which I will receive no benefit. With 4 lanes open today, I still spend between 2 and 3 hours per day on this road because there has been little to no improvement in congestion. The clever Doctor should perhaps replace his academic study with a practical one by sitting in traffic every day - maybe he will then come to his senses.
Anonymous, wrote
Anonymous, wrote
This is the best way to drive the poor away from the city , let see if it will work check the unemployment rate and decide it's not dropping instead more and more people are jobless maybe we are going to receive grant for all this things. Our goverment do not fails us we voted for good not bad .
Anonymous, wrote
I cannot believe that someone with a doctorates degree is capable of making such an idiot of himself. Get real doc and stop talking through yor ass. It's people like yourself that damage the economy and place more financial burden on the common citizen.Toll must go and I encourage all to refuse to pay for it. Ghandi opposed the system and won. It's called PASSIVE RESISTANCE!
Anonymous, wrote
No matter what you do SANRAL we WILL NOT PAY EVER! Scare people in roadblocks, lie to the public, fool people into signing unlawful contracts or getting crackpot doctors to spread flith it wont help. You a-holes must deal with the sh1t you spewed into the public domain, seel your mercs and mansions and pay for the roads you scumbags!
@ Oliver N, wrote
Dont blame the journalist for some crack pot doctors "study" Maybe Dr. Botha doesnt know what hes trying to say either as he was obviously paid to make this up on sunday evening over some Johnny blue with the cadres. And no sense in the article becasue there is no sense in the "study". Please leave your job at SANRAL Oliver, we dont care what you have to say....really.
sue, wrote
Dr Roelof Botha, you are an A class A-Hole. Who is paying you? Carry on with your corrupt mumbling, the public is not dumb, and the bottom line is that we will not pay. Why dont you trundle along all of the toll routes once the whole thing takes off, and you can pay for it all and see how it "benefits" you, and how it "saves you" in the longrun. Go and buy a bulk supply of toilet paper, because you are running at the mouth!
Ritesh, wrote
I don't see why I need to pay for the use of the road if i have not gained anything. Before the upgrade, it took me 1.5 hours to get home. At the moment, it takes me around 2 hours to get home. Please can someone explain what we get out of this.
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