City remains opposed to tolling, regardless of SANRAL's business model

The City of Cape Town is not concerned with the method of tolling, as is being disingenuously suggested by SANRAL, but is rather opposed to the whole idea of tolling irrespective of how it may be enforced. Read more below:

SANRAL's suggestion that the use of ‘conventional toll plazas' as opposed to electronic tolling is of material concern to the City or the residents of Cape Town simply reinforces how out of touch this parastatal is.

In fact, the City has consistently rejected the tolling proposal on the basis that the road upgrades are not necessary and that tolling would have a disproportionate impact on poor and low-income residents. These adverse effects include a large increase in commuting costs, which will hinder access to job opportunities and social amenities and which, once again, will reinforce apartheid-era spatial inequalities.

In addition, the City is of the view that the process undertaken by SANRAL to get the N1 and N2 declared as toll roads was improper and unlawful. Our review application will seek to have the decisions taken during this process set aside and the tolling project itself scrapped.

No date has been set as yet for the review hearing. However, the High Court interdict granted to the City in May last year prevents SANRAL from continuing with their proposed tolling of the N1 and N2 until the finalisation of the City's review application.

The City, on 5 August 2014, concluded its argument in the Western Cape High Court in the matter of whether the City may file its supplementary founding papers in an open court as is opposed by SANRAL. All of the parties have to submit their written submissions to the judge before the close of business today. Judgment is reserved.

Statement issued by Councillor Brett Herron, Mayoral Committee Member: Transport for Cape Town, City of Cape Town, August 11 2014

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