The Democratic Alliance (DA) has echoed Opposition to Urban Tolling's (Outa's) stance that e-tolling in SA is doomed to fail - an outlook underpinned by similar projects having failed elsewhere in the world.
DA shadow transport minister Ian Ollis yesterday called on the SA National Roads Agency (Sanral) and Department of Transport (DOT) to "provide clarity as to how e-tolling was pursued in SA despite evidence existing that the project has not been successful in other countries, such as Portugal".
Last week, ITWeb reported on the bleak situation Portugal's national roads agency, Estradas de Portugal (EP), currently finds itself in, following the December 2011 implementation of an e-toll system in the country.
Ollis says: "It can only be deduced from SA's failure to learn from Portugal's e-tolling woes, that neither Sanral, nor the DOT, conducted thorough research into the viability of e-tolling. If they did, they negligently opted to ignore the Portuguese example."
He notes that, as a result of lower than expected revenue from e-tolls, Portugal's e-tolling system has been "so unsustainable that the country's road chief has warned that there will not be enough money for road maintenance".
Clear confirmation
He says Portugal's e-tolling failure is "clear evidence that e-tolling does not work", pointing out that EP chief Ant'onio Ramalho said the Portuguese roads agency has failed to collect over EUR30 million (R386 million) from e-toll transgressors.
"They found that on average 19% of toll-road users fail to pay for using the toll roads and that e-tolls have effectively forced thousands of cars onto secondary roads. He further admitted that expected revenue from e-tolls is far below those anticipated by initial studies. Failure to pay, among others, has increased administrative fees from EUR17 million (R218 million) in 2011, to EUR42 million (R540 million) in 2012."
Ollis says contrary to Sanral's constant assertions, "e-tolling does not create funding for road maintenance". He says e-tolling is bound to create a massive administrative burden, undermine economic growth, hurt the poor, and ultimately result in job losses.
"It is simple: e-tolling does not work. It has failed in other countries and will fail in SA too."
He says Sanral and the DOT now need to do the right thing - "abandon e-tolling".
Ongoing uproar
Meanwhile, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) is not letting up on its protest against the implementation of what it believes is an unjust and unnecessary system, with a drive slow in Pretoria this morning.
According to the union, the drive slow will begin in End Street, in Hatfield. The route will then follow the N4 to the N1, joining the R21 towards Oliver Tambo International Airport, off-ramp at Nelmapius back to the R21 towards the city - after which the convoy will proceed to the Mediclinic heart hospital in Park Street to send well wishes to ailing former president Nelson Mandela.
Cosatu has called on the public to support its cause and stand up against e-tolls.
Sanral argues that e-tolling is the best solution for Gauteng's freeway upgrades and maintenance, and has tagged the system as an economic advantage for SA.
"Tolling pays. That is the simple truth - it makes transport easier, boosts economic growth and individual businesses. And makes travelling more pleasant for private citizens."
Share
