The Minister of Transport has taken a step closer towards a decision on the Gauteng e-toll plan. The plan was unveiled earlier in the year and immediately garnered controversy because of the perceived excessive costs associated with passing through them. Some cost estimates came up to as high as R2000 a month for a motorist journeying between Pretoria and Johannesburg, just on these tolls alone.
The Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project Steering Committee was formed to look into these complaints and concerns. Unfortunately the government unveiled these tolls before consulting as widely as it now has, and so by the time the public was told of the plan, all the tolls were already up. That is what caused the outcry. At the same time, government had to recoup the estimated R20 billion it borrowed to pay for improving Gauteng’s freeways.
A further decision on the e-tolls is expected before the end of July, whereafter more consultation will take place. From where we stand, these tolls are not going anywhere. Everyday orange-coloured offices and retail shops where one can buy the required e-tags are being furbished and prepared. It appears that things are going ahead regardless.
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