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Gauteng’s prepaid toll solution to become the national standard

When Gautengers are tolled for using the province’s busiest freeways in early 2011, the system will work somewhat like a prepaid cellphone contract.

South African National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) senior project manager Alex van Niekerk says car owners will be asked to set up accounts, either by phoning in or going to a website, and to then load money into these accounts before entering the tolling system, or to link payment to their credit cards.

Once this is done, commuters must go to an outlet to get an electronic tag or trans- ponder, to be displayed on their front windscreens. Commuters will not be charged for this tag, says Van Niekerk.

“There will be a one-tag standard,” he adds. “You will be able to go through any toll gate in South Africa – not only in Gauteng – with this tag.”

The tag means the toll transaction is a quick, electronic one, with no physical toll gates where money is collected.

Motorists simply pass underneath a gantry housing the equipment, which reads the tag while also taking a photo of the licence plates as soon as their vehicles break a laser beam.

This so-called open-road tolling system also classifies the vehicle in terms of size, charging the appropriate amount.

Gantries are placed along and at entry points on the freeways, such as on- and off-ramps.

The entire phase one of the Gauteng freeway system under toll – 185 km of road – will be looked after by ten satellite centres, which will act as the first line of incident management, dispatching medical assistance if needed.

The roads will be monitored by closed-circuit television cameras.

“Sanral already has tow trucks on standby in case of vehicle breakdowns,” explains Van Niekerk.

“Methods have been devised to track down commuters who attempt to avoid paying toll fees”, he adds.

Should a vehicle not have a tag, system operators will type in the licence plate number from the photo which has been taken, thereby tracking down the owner.

Van Niekerk says violations will include not carrying a tag, driving a vehicle that cannot be identified, and having insufficient funds.

When this happens, a motorist will receive an invoice, and then an infringement notice (which is equivalent to a fine), followed by a courtesy letter, an enforcement order and, finally, the issue of a warrant.

Should a visitor outside Gauteng enter the system, signage will warn the motorist to go to the nearest satellite centre to register, or to phone a toll-free number.

It may also be possible to buy a day pass at a retail outlet before entering the system.

Van Niekerk says the proposed toll fee is currently set at 50c/km, but notes that inflation has probably impacted on this already.

He says a discount will be offered to regular users, using a sliding scale.

Van Niekerk explains that this means a commuter will pay the full fee for the first ten trips, for example, with costs then reducing in a step-by-step fashion the further the commuter travels.

Public transport vehicles, such as minibus taxis, will have the benefit of driving in the lanes reserved for vehicles with three or more occupants, as well as receiving a discount on toll fees.

Tolling will be the method used to fund the Gauteng Free Improvement Project, which is a multiphased project currently under way to expand and widen the province’s freeway network, currently choking under increased congestion.

Phase one carries an estimated R15,1-billion price tag, excluding Vat.

Van Niekerk says implementing the toll scheme comes after extensive market research – 27 000 interviews – in aspects of commuter behaviour.

He adds that some other city freeways in the country are currently under investigation to become toll roads, such as the N1/N2 approach to Cape Town, and the R300 Cape Town ring road. Also included are the roads around the new Dube Trade Port, in Durban.

PROJECT 1: N1 Between Golden Highway and Midrand (Government Notice 962 of Gazette 30372)
Off-ramps where toll gantry’s will be situated:
Jukskei (Between Allandale and Buccleuch)
Woodmead (Between Buccleuch and Rivionia Road)
Main Road (Between Rivonia Road and William Nicol)
Curzon Road (Between William Nicol and Hans Strydom)
Hans Strydom (Between Hans Strydom and Beyers Naude)
9th Avenue (Between Beyers Naude and 14th Avenue)
Gordon Road (Between Gordon Road and Maraisburg)
New Canada (Between Maraisburg and Soweto Interchange)
Rand Show (Between Soweto Interchange and Rand Show Interchange)
Diepkloof (Between Diepkloof Interchange and Golden Highway)

Comments to be directed to:
The Regional Manager: Northern Region
South African National Roads Agency Limited (SANRAL)
POSTNET SUITE 110
PRIVATE BAG X19
MENLO PARK
0102
FAX: 086-647-0694

PROJECT 2: N1 Between Midrand and Proefplaas (Government Notice 963 of Gazette 30372)
Off-ramps where toll gantry’s will be situated:
New Road (Between New Road and Olifantsfontein)
SamRand (Between Olifantsfontein and SamRand)
Nellmapius (Between Rooihuiskraal and Brakfontein Interchange)
Technopark (Between Brakfontein and John Vorster)
Airforce Base (Between Botha Ave and Flying Saucer Interchange)
Waterkloof (Between Flying Saucer Interchange and Rigel Avenue Interchange)
Kings Highway (Between Lynwood Rd and N4 Interchange)

Comments to be directed to:
The Regional Manager: Northern Region
South African National Roads Agency Limited (SANRAL)
POSTNET SUITE 129
PRIVATE BAG X19
MENLO PARK
0102
FAX: 086-647-0695

PROJECT 3: N4 Between Proefplaas and Swartkoppies (Government Notice 964 of Gazette 30372)
Off-ramps where toll gantry’s will be situated:
Botanical Gardens (Between Proefplaas Interchange and Val de Grace Interchange)
Equestria (Between Simon Vermooten and Swartkoppies Interchange)

Comments to be directed to:
The Regional Manager: Northern Region
South African National Roads Agency Limited (SANRAL)
POSTNET SUITE 108
PRIVATE BAG X19
MENLO PARK
0102
FAX: 086-647-0699

PROJECT 4: N3 Between Heidelberg and Buccleuch (Government Notice 965 of Gazette 30372)
Off-ramps where toll gantry’s will be situated:
Buccleuch (Between Buccleuch Interchange and Marlboro Drive)
London Road (Between Marlboro Drive and London Road)
Modderfontein Road (Between Modderfontein Interchange and Linksfield Road)
Linksfield (Between Linksfield Road and Gilooly’s Interchange)
Kloof (Between Kloof Road and Geldenhuys Interchange)
Geldenhuys Interchange (Between Geldenhuys Interchange and Rand Airport Interchange)
Rand Airport Interchange (Between Geldenhuys Interchange and Rand Airport Interchange)
Heidelberg Road (Between Grey Avenue and Heidelberg Road)

Comments to be directed to:
The Regional Manager: Northern Region
South African National Roads Agency Limited (SANRAL)
POSTNET SUITE 146
PRIVATE BAG X19
MENLO PARK
0102
FAX: 086-647-0696

PROJECT 5: N12 Between Gilooly’s and Gauteng/Mpumalanga Provincial Border (Government Notice 966 of Gazette 30372)
Off-ramps where toll gantry’s will be situated:
Bedfordview (Between Gilooly’s Interchange and R24 Interchange)
Rietfontein (Between Jet Park Interchange and Rietfontein Interchange)
Atlas Road (Between Rondebult Interchange and Atlas Road)
Tom Jones (Between Atlas Road and Tom Jones)

Comments to be directed to:
The Regional Manager: Northern Region
South African National Roads Agency Limited (SANRAL)
POSTNET SUITE 107
PRIVATE BAG X19
MENLO PARK
0102
FAX: 086-647-0698

PROJECT 6: N12 Between Diepkloof and Elands Interchange (Government Notice 967 of Gazette 30372)
Off-ramps where toll gantry’s will be situated:
Ridgeway (Between Diepkloof Interchange and Ridgeway Interchange)
Kliprivier (Between Klip Rivier Bridge and Comaro)
Comaro (Between Comaro and Reading Interchange)
Reading (Between Reading Interchange and Voortrekker Interchange)

Comments to be directed to:
The Regional Manager: Northern Region
South African National Roads Agency Limited (SANRAL)
POSTNET SUITE 139
PRIVATE BAG X19
MENLO PARK
0102
FAX: 086-647-0697

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT SANRAL NORTHERN REGION ON:

TEL: 012 426 6200

FAX: 012 348 0883

lancelot wrote:Wow, we are being ripped off again.

KillerByte wrote:does this mean we can get the road tax removed from the petrol price?

wizardofid wrote:

KillerByte wrote:does this mean we can get the road tax removed from the petrol price?

No they will be increasing it.

Sorry Wizard but I was being sarcastic.

There is a road tax built into our petrol price specifically to pay for road maintenance.

wizardofid wrote:

lancelot wrote:Wow, we are being ripped off again.

I don't see it as such...how else are you going to repair roads enlarge or maintain it.Current provincial budgets simple does not cover it and there really isn't any more money to do it with.We have already started the lending trend again and is nearly threatening a minus bank balance.

If you can get money legally, and do so with a fair price and keep roads safe and little less congested and in exchange save a few lives doing so.Tolls are a necessary evil.

Getting screwed or not I prefer to die of old age not on some road where a taxi hit a pothole and connected me head on...

Was going to say that's BS! And according to a recent newspaper article, Joburg roads agency didn't even spend half their budget this year." But I can't find the article now

Ron2K wrote: Actually, the R26 is where you live. The R28 runs from a junction with the N14 near Krugersdorp to Vereeniging via Randfontein, Westonaira, Lenasia and Sebokeng.

RuadRauFlessa wrote:What I want to know is how they are going to implement the tag systems. In order for any RF tag to work you need an inductive charge strong enough to generate the power needed to send a signal. Since your car is on the ground and the frame-thing you drive through is up yonder... I really wonder how much power they will consume with this haphazard approach. Secondly they are talking about IR beams sensing when a vehicle is there. Now there are only two ways I can see them mount these things and both has a drawback. The first would be a horizontal approach which obviously I would love. Drive through just behind someone else's car... but as in almost nose to nose and you won't get tagged The other way is to have the beam look down from the steel scaffolding. This has the problem of them needing receiving devices on the ground to complete the circuit. Think of the costs.

So they will be tolling more... taxing more... and still nothing will happen. Also I was on the so called "heavily congested" N1 last week as I drove down towards CPT... And heaven behold the traffic is actually lighter than Old Jo'burg road at 05h00.