'Hotspot' gantries charge up to R6.50

The e Toll gantry near the Allandale interchange on the M1 south in Johannesburg which is cost drivers more than the other gantries. 160412 Picture: Boxer Ngwenya

The e Toll gantry near the Allandale interchange on the M1 south in Johannesburg which is cost drivers more than the other gantries. 160412 Picture: Boxer Ngwenya

Published Apr 17, 2012

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Driving through two of Johannesburg’s busiest interchanges - Allandale and Gillooly’s - will cost more than R6 each time you pass through their e-toll gantries - if you’re not registered as an e-toll user.

This drops to nearly half, however, if you are registered and an e-tag user.

In what appears to be a mad dash to legalise e-tolling, motorists have found out only now what the real toll tariffs are going to be, and there is still no clarification on whether taxis and buses will be exempt as promised.

E-tolling is due to kick off on April 30.

A gazette on toll tariffs published on Friday surprised Gauteng drivers, not only because users who are not registered with the SA National Roads Agency Ltd as tollpayers and who take longer than seven days to pay tolls will be charged six times the amount of the most-discounted tariff, but also because of the widely differing charges for the gantries.

The standard charges range from R1.16 for Ilowe gantry on the N1 to R8.12 for Letata, near Olifantsfontein, for cars to R40.60 at Letata as a standard charge for trucks. Punitive tariffs are far higher.

Allandale’s Sunbird gantry costs R6.50 for a standard user and R3.36 for a registered e-tag user, while Gillooly’s Loerie gantry costs R6.38 for a standard user and R3.30 for a registered e-tag user.

Adding up all the tariffs for the 49 gantries, and dividing it by the round route of 370km of the e-tolled roads, also gives a higher per kilometre rate than the 30c promised by the cabinet earlier this year for e-toll users.

AS HIGH AS R2 A KILOMETRE

This instead comes to 34c/km, while standard users will pay R1.22. This is almost double the amount that motorists were told they would pay per kilometre just one year ago.

In February 2011 Sanral CEO Nazir Alli announced that e-tag users for ordinary vehicles would pay 49.5c/km, while regular users would pay 66c/km.

Now, according to The Star’s calculations, if a non-registered user does not pay within seven days, this figure jumps to as high as R2 per kilometre.

Explaining this, Sanral said the tolls would be collected per gantry that a motorists passed and that the cost per gantry was determined by the kilometre distance between gantries.

"The practical implication of this toll strategy is that in some instances road users might travel on the tolled route but exit the system before passing a gantry, which would mean a ‘free ride’. However, on the return trip, a road user might pass a gantry for which they will be charged, thus balancing the cost,” Sanral said.

The DA’s Neil Campbell said he was not surprised by figures that appear higher than promised.

“We also find it very disturbing that the standard rate is double what it should be.”

“This is a desperate attempt to push people into buying an e-tag.”

Surprisingly, the gazette had no mention of users who will be exempt from paying tolls.

In August 2011 the government announced that taxis and buses would not have to pay e-tolls. This was reiterated in February by the cabinet.

Wayne Duvenage, the chairman of Outa (Opposition to Urban Tolling Alliance), who is attempting to stop e-tolling through a court process, points out that with no details on exemptions so close to e-tolling’s commencement, “it must be assumed that they are in fact not exempt”.

“The absence of clarity on the criteria for exemptions has further implications for both vulnerable groups (eg pensioners or mobility impaired). In addition, the tourism industry, which has numerous permitted vehicles and drivers similar to minibus taxi operators, has good reason to expect that it should also qualify for exemptions,” Duvenage said.

The tariffs gazetted a year ago - hotly disputed and now overtaken by Friday’s gazette - referred to “public transport discount” for “qualifying public transport vehicles that have an e-toll tag account and a valid permit” for a public transport vehicle.

EXEMPTION PROCESS NOT FINALISED YET

On Monday national department of transport spokesman Tiyani Rikhotso insisted that public transport would be exempt, but did not explain how this would work.

Thabisho Molelekwa, spokesman for the SA National Taxi Council, was confident the government would not renege on its promise to exempt taxis. He said they had been in consultation with Sanral on how taxis would be registered and exempted, but admitted this process had not been finalised yet.

“The regulations for exemption are currently with the department of transport for review. Included in this exemption is the exemption of commuter public transport operators,” said Sanral spokesman Felix Sebata. - The Star

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