Is some brain power finally being applied to e-tolling?

I heard a report on the radio that the e-toll committee has met to discuss the economic impact of e-tolling in Gauteng.

We have been writing about this very notion for how many months now? Groups such as Outa and others have also warned of this.

On the one hand I was rather pleased to hear that finally, the powers-that-be are thinking about the economic impact of e-tolling. Perhaps someone has finally listened to the millions of people all saying the same thing. Or perhaps someone has read one of my columns. I like to think it’s the latter.

Whatever the reason for this committee getting together and finally applying some brain-power to the notion of e-tolling, one has to wonder why it did not take place before being implemented.

I mean, really, did no one in government realise that if transport costs increase, everything from food upwards would also become more expensive? I find it hard to believe that not a single minister thought this far about e-tolling.

Likewise, I find it hard to believe that not a single minister considered that people would be unhappy to pay more just to use the same road which has been around for nearly 30 years.

But perhaps it is hard to consider the other side of the coin when you are exempt from these silly things, like paying for tolls, or petrol. Given that most politicians seem to have access to blue light brigades, and never sit in rush-hour traffic, or obey pesky things like traffic laws, is it any wonder how e-tolling was passed?

It is hard to consider the impact of e-tolling when you do not pay any e-tolls, you do not sit in rush-hour traffic and you have an ‘expense account’ sent to the taxpayers of this country.

Currently, should you have an e-tag, you will have a cap of R450 per month, per vehicle, for e-tolling. If you have two cars, that means an extra R900 a month. This is a significant increase on the cost of travel for those who did not previously go through tolls. This is an additional cost for something which never cost us money before.

I have said it before and I will say it again. I can understand a toll on the R21. This road has seen a significant improvement, from the previous two-lane road. But what about the N3, N1, R24?

No improvements (similar to the R21) have been done to these roads. Quintessentially, these are still the same roads which have been around for decades. Alright, some date back 30 years, some less, but the point is still valid. We have driven the same roads for more than 10 years without tolling.

How was the cost of maintenance covered before?

My personal feeling is that corruption has left the state coffers dry, which means the taxpayer must just shut his mouth and contribute more money.

And now we have a commission looking into the viability of e-tolling. Come on, are you being serious? Why was this not considered before implementation?

I am sick of poor planning, yet being billed for someone else’s mistake. I am sorry, but this is unacceptable.

I think it is high-time someone put a boot up government’s nether-regions to get them into gear.

We pay taxes, we have a fuel levy and who knows what else built into the price of petrol.

I don’t care if you are DA, ANC, EFF or IFP. Just do the job of running our country properly.

That is all we, the taxpayers, are asking for.