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Outa warns of 'half-pregnant' e-tolls approach

Johannesburg - The Opposition to Urban Tolling Alliance (Outa) wants clarity on a statement by Gauteng Transport MEC Ismail Vadi on e-tolls.

Vadi said they were taking a “second look at the matter” and suggested that e-tolls should be replaced by more efficient user pay mechanisms, such as a fuel levy, a provincial tax or shadow tolling, the Sunday Independent reported.

According to Outa chair Wayne Duvenage, these statements appears to have created more confusion on the matter.

"Outa largely agrees with these views, as each of these alternatives attract virtually zero administration costs and have high, if not 100%  compliance levels," said Duvenage on Tuesday.

"The e-toll scheme, on the other hand, comes at a huge administration cost - over R1.3bn per year - and will never achieve high compliance, as Sanral is now realising some six months after launching the scheme."

The obvious question for Outa is whether Sanral concurs with Vadi's views.

"If so, does this mean there is a ‘half-pregnant’ approach to the ill-conceived e-toll plan?” asked Duvenage.

“If the scheme is indeed questionable and regarded as ineffective, then it goes without saying that the entire scheme should be set aside until a more efficient and equitable solution is found, including for future road upgrade plans."

He said every day the e-toll "fiasco" continues, it is a burden to society.

"We trust that Cosatu’s request for President Jacob Zuma to call off the e-toll scheme’s ‘privatisation of our public highways in his State of the Nation Address, will be heeded accordingly,” said Duvenage.

Outa has updated its e-tag count on vehicles last week and maintains that less than 40% of vehicles are tagged.

"This suggests that Sanral’s recent discount carrot has not produced the uptake it had hoped for. This is sending an even louder message that the public at large would not be duped or enticed into the irrational scheme," said Duvenage.

"If one extrapolates the R550m outstanding e-toll debt accumulated by February 28 2014, we estimate this figure now to have climbed to approximately R1bn."  

Outa said it continues to encounter a stream of public and businesses concerns about how the cost of e-tolls will push them into a negative cash situation.

"In essence, the tolling of social and economic infrastructure is becoming detrimental to the well-being of SA’s economic hub," said Duvenage.

"With our nation’s recent credit rating down-grades, we can ill afford to allow the e-toll fiasco to continue to make matters worse."

Issuing summonses

Outa believes that Sanral is preparing to issue summonses to a few freeway users for non e-toll payment in the next month or two, in an attempt to scare the public into e-tag compliance.

"If indeed Sanral has plans to criminalise the public for the non-payment of a questionable and irrational scheme, we believe this will have significant unintended consequences along with a negative backlash by society, something our country can ill afford at this sensitive stage of our economic development," said Duvenage.

- Fin24

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