Shocked about the Toll Plaza planned on the N1 2008-04-30
I am appalled to hear that the Toll Plaza Project is going ahead after all the objections that had been put forward from 2000 to 2003.
The most significant reason being that in 2003, the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism forwarded their ‘Record of Decision’ to Dr Jenine Bothma of SANRAL, with Clause 10 as follows: “Duration and date expiry: If construction does not commence within a period of 2 years, this authorisation will be invalidated.”
This letter was dated 30 September 2003 and to my knowledge there has been no construction up to this date, five years later.
This being the case, I believe that the whole process of comments and environmental studies must start from scratch.
The conditions have changed radically since 2003 making a new assessment extremely necessary.
* In 2002 the cost for tolling were between R400 to R600 per month and given the increases in petrol, food and electricity, the poor will not be able to afford even the 2002 tariffs.
* As transport costs increase due to tolling, so will the cost of living as well as inflation.
* Farmers, who are already selling land because their industry is becoming unprofitable (such as the milk industry), will be penalised even further, causing even more starvation. An estimation of toll cost for the deciduous fruit growers in the Boland in 2002 was R414 million.
* For the 176 km of toll roads to be maintained by the Toll Plaza Company, there will be hundreds of kilometres of roads that will suffer and need repairs due to traffic avoiding the N1 and N2. Who will pay for the maintenance of these roads? The tax payer?
* Taxi fares will increase even more, especially for the poor.
* Business will suffer with increased transport costs and wages.
* Time delays and congestion on the N1 and N2, which already is a huge problem, will increase.
* The noise pollution has since 2003 become intolerable along the N1.
The traffic noise is far above that what the Law allows (daytime limits should not exceed 55 dBA).
These are a few negative impacts that the Toll Plazas will have on the people and the environment.
Everybody will either be affected directly or indirectly as all costs must increase, as will inflation.
