Gauteng open road tolling to resume

The upgraded and improved national roads in and around the metropolitan areas of Tshwane, Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni in Gauteng will start collecting tolls as from February 2012.

These roads namely; the N1, N3, N12 and R21, part of the South African National Roads Agency SOC Limited (SANRAL)'s Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project also known as e-roads, will be tolled by means of electronic and automated methods.

Due to the traffic volumes and the requirement to collect toll in an urban environment, Open Road Tolling (ORT) was deemed to be the most appropriate method to collect toll, since all transactions are recorded electronically by using Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) or e-toll. The toll system therefore does not require vehicles to stop or slow down. The aim is to provide road users with a smoother, safer journey.

This automated non-stop method of collecting toll will allow drivers to, amongst other things, keep driving and not stopping to pay toll fees, resulting in less traffic congestion thus reducing our carbon footprint, ability to track the latest incident updates en route and feel safer through quicker emergency response times.

SANRAL has chosen to use tolling because it enables it to provide roads sooner than the traditional tax-based revenues which would traditionally fund these roads. Tolling delivers the much needed infrastructure sooner than later and ensures dedicated funding for maintenance of the road infrastructure.

Benefits accruing from toll roads include ensuring a high quality road network. In addition to contributing to improved road safety, toll roads generally reduce travelling distances. The “user-pay” principle also represents a fair and precise way of paying for transportation facilities.

SANRAL is committed to sustainable infrastructure development and is continuously upgrading and maintaining its national road network across South Africa. The improvement of the national road network in Gauteng (GFIP) is an important contributor to keeping South Africa's economic hub moving and growing.

For more information on Gauteng e-tolling, visit http://www.sanral.co.za/e-toll/