Toll road shock
2008-09-25
Sieb Sieberhagen
RESIDENTS of the Boland are aghast at the announcement that the N1 toll road has been approved without further consultation. An announcement was made in the Government Gazette that the tolling of the N1 and N2 has been approved by the government, was published last week. New toll gates will be located betweem the Stellenbosch off- ramp and Kraaifontein. Previous consultation included an environmental study which gave the proposal the green light. The provincial authorities also did not oppose the project.
The N1 toll road will extend from Sandhills near Worcester to Bellville in the metropole. New toll gates will be erected at Sandhills (Worcester), and at Joostenbergvlakte to the east of the Engen One-Stop. At this stage no cost schedule is known, but motorists can expect to pay the same toll as the fee to use the Huguenot tunnel (currently R21) at each toll gate, while a discount of 30% to 40% for frequent travellers is likely. Local business people and the agricultural community agree that the tolling of the N1 will have a serious effect on the local economy. Possible rebates for farmers delivering agriculture products, discounts for frequent users, the impact on alternative roads and what motorists will pay, are issues raised. “We were in consultation with the South African National Roads Agency (Sanral) from the beginning, and pointed out the detrimental effect tolling would have on agriculture,” says Carl Opperman of Agri Wes-Cape. “The toll gate between Paarl and Cape Town will have a major impact and at this stage there is no clarity on what the rebate for farmers will be,” he says. Adds Trevor Harris of Paarl Business Chamber, “This decision will strangle the economy of the Western Cape. It is clearly not in the public’s interest to go ahead. “No person or representative body actually supported the tolling of these roads. And still the projects go ahead despite the united opposition,” he says. Bianca du Preez, deputy chairperson of Paarl Sakekamer, says, “We need a good road infrastructure, but the taxpayer already pays for the use of the roads. We do not see any reason why there should be an extra burden on the consumer. “This will have an enormous effect on motorists following the increase in petrol prices.” According to the notice of intent to toll, Sanral plans to use an “open road” toll system whereby remote sensing devices will be positioned on gantries across the toll highway, allowing the recording of toll charges for regular commuters, without vehicles being required to stop at toll plazas. This will contribute to a better traffic flow. In the past, Sanral has indicated that tolling would compensate for the cost of maintenance of the highways and allow for the completion of the second Huguenot tunnel, widening of the N1 at Bellville, widening of the R300, improvement of Sir Lowry’s Pass with a tunnel, as well as fly-overs where there are currently robots in Worcester and Somerset West. Sanral receives its funding from central government via the fuel levy, and does not share in the provincial income from vehicle licences for road maintenance. The tolling will kick off in 2010. Commuters travelling from Paarl via the N1 to Stellenbosch and Klapmuts will not pay any toll fees.
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