Motorists can expect to start trying out the e-tolling system on Gauteng's highways from the end of March, but the toll tariff and discount structure have still not been finalised.
The e-tolling system is an open road, multi-lane toll infrastructure that allows for tolls to be charged without drivers having to stop. There are no physical booths.
“Overhead gantries will be fitted with the toll collection equipment that will recognise the electronic transponder (e-tag) in a vehicle, toll will be deducted from a user's registered e-toll account and they will be able to travel without any disruption,” says the South African National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral).
E-tolling forms part of the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project (GFIP). The 185km of new toll infrastructure will see the N1 to Pretoria, Johannesburg ring roads and the R21 to Pretoria become electronic tolling zones.
Month-end costs
Senior project manager for the GFIP Alex van Niekerk says final implementation of the e-tolling system will happen in June and the toll fee structure is expected to be finalised by the end of this month.
Van Niekerk previously put the delay in determining the cost structure down to the many variables that can influence the cost of toll for a specific person. Some of these variables are where one enters and exits the road, what time of day it is, what type of vehicle is being used and whether the vehicle has an e-tag.
Sanral says it is considering discounts for e-tag holders that are frequent users, time of the day discounts and discounts for public transport vehicles.
Democratic Alliance spokesperson for Roads and Transport in the Gauteng Legislature Neil Campbell says there has been no word on the tariff structure so far.
“There's been speculation so far, but that's it. However, there has been word that the initial price of 50c per kilometre seems to be optimistic and it will more likely be 75c or more.”
Estimates from official sources are that e-tolling could cost the average person between R700 and R1 000 a month, if they pass two tolls, in each direction, per day.
Uninformed public
Campbell says the problem is that Sanral has not consulted with anyone, but just dropped the project on people.
“It's just abysmal public relations with this situation. We are all in the dark.”
The DA spokesperson says there will be a lot of backlash from the public over this system. “We can usually judge this by the number of queries we get and we've been inundated when it comes to e-tolling.”
He adds that a lot of companies have already told their drivers that if they want to use roads hosting the e-toll system, then they will have to pay the costs themselves.
“So the pressure on municipal roads on either side [of the toll roads] is going to be tremendous.”
Detecting drivers
Van Niekerk says motorists will be able to start getting the e-tags required for the e-tolling system at the beginning of the second quarter of 2011.
Cameras that capture the back and front licence plates of cars will be used as a method to detect cars that don't have e-tags.
The Department of Transport has revealed how billing for the electronic tolling stations will work. However, some questions still remain around whether the department will have the capacity to deal with unregistered vehicles, non-payment by motorists and fraudulent number plates.
Transport minister Sibusiso Ndebele said motorists could pay via a prepaid or a guaranteed postpaid account.
The prepaid account would work the same as a cellphone or electricity prepaid account, and would be available to any road user - banked or unbanked.
The account-holder will also be able to top up the account through various points, such as kiosks, transport satellite centres, or through Internet banking and selected ATMs.
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