Gauteng Premier Nomvula Mokonyane, Transport and Roads MEC Ismael Vadi and Minister of Transport S’bu Ndebele expect to receive a report into toll road fees by the weekend.
Gauteng’s proposed toll roads formed part of an informal networking discussion yesterday between Vadi and the media.
Vadi discussed future plans for his department and looked at some of the challenges ahead. Part of those plans are future road networks and how they are funded.
Vadi said a steering committee, appointed to look at the proposed toll-road fees of up to 66c/km, had completed the report. He said the department had appointed an independent finance company to look into the financial model of the project, to see if the original model could have been improved.
Vadi said the department had asked the committee to come up with a public transport plan using available resources before it implemented the tolls. Once the MEC had received the report, it would then be presented to the public.
Vadi said the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project had originally been meant to upgrade 566km of old roads and build two or three new ones.
“Currently, phase one of Sanral’s project has cost us R17.5 billion, which was borrowed through bonds to pay for the improvement of 185km of those roads. These are bonds we have to pay back,” Vadi said. “I know that Cosatu has been asking what the real benefits of this project are for the public, because we didn’t build new roads for all that money. The roads were there already.”
He said the 185km was just phase A of the project, but there had been no decision about whether they would carry on with the next two phases.
Vadi said the department was focusing on building a reliable, affordable, safe and accessible public transport system. “We have no other alternative. We can’t build more highways, it’s too expensive and there isn’t enough land.”
He said part of the department’s plans was working with the taxi industry because 60 to 65 percent of commuters relied on public transport.
Vadi said the department would like to professionalise the taxi industry and see a competitive bidding process taking place to work out routes.
He said they would also be discussing the Gautrain and whether it would be developed further.
These plans will probably be part of an integrated master transport planned for the next 25 years.
Vadi said they would be sitting down with town planners in June to discuss this master plan, which would be part of a Gauteng 2055 vision. The plan involves the development of two new cities in Gauteng.