The Automobile Association (AA) has welcomed the African National Congress’s (ANC’s) decision to consider using the fuel levy as an interim measure to pay for infrastructure upgrades.
“With the imminent reduction in the fuel price‚ it is an opportune time to take a portion of the decrease and add this to the levy‚ specifically to get rid of the tolls permanently and provide a funding platform for national road projects‚” the AA said on Wednesday.
“The issue of tolling has become highly politicised‚ and government should be encouraged to take this opportunity‚ which may be seen in a more positive light by consumers‚” said Gary Ronald‚ the AA’s head of public affairs.
‘With an anticipated 55 cents to 70 cents drop in the diesel and petrol prices next week‚ there would still be a significant saving passed on to the motorist‚ and the political ramifications of tolling will cease to exist. However‚ the AA believes this must be seen as a permanent measure‚” he said.
Turning to what will be done with the erected gantries‚ the AA recommends a simple and effective solution.
“Current back-end systems exist that can monitor traffic and be used for crime prevention and traffic safety. The existing gantries would be perfectly poised to handle information such as vehicle identification‚ checking for stolen vehicles‚ fake number plates or hijacked vehicles and general traffic management‚” Ronald said. - I-Net Bridge