Beware Sanral’s e-toll carrot – Outa
The Opposition to Urban Tolling Alliance (Outa) warned Gauteng road users not to be seduced by Sanral’s “extension of grace period discounts” for e-toll payments.
“This is simply a part of their strategy to coax road users who have not signed Sanral’s onerous terms and conditions into their net,” said Outa spokesperson John Clark.
He said this forms part of the attempts to solve the dire long-term financial problems that Sanral now faced after having embarked on e-tolling without obtaining comprehensive public endorsement from all sectors of society.
The notice in the Government Gazette states that alternative road users who have outstanding e-toll bills for the period between 3 December 2013 (when e-tolling commenced) through to 28 February 2014, and who were facing the prospect of exorbitant alternative tariffs, will only be charged the standard tariff, on condition that they register with Sanral and settle the outstanding account before 30 June 2014.
Outa Chair Wayne Duvenage said Outa predicted that Sanral would re-commence its ‘hook, crook and spook’ tactics as soon as the elections were over.
He believes this enticing offer will be shortly followed by a summons case or two against non-payers, to scare the public into compliance.
“Sanral is desperate to get the over 1.3 million non-compliant freeway users to play on their turf by signing their terms and conditions,” said Duvenhage.
“However, until there is a dramatic change in Sanral’s general attitude to the public and its critics and a reassessment of this debacle with the stakeholders, the authorities will be hard pressed to convince the self-respecting road users to capitulate to these manipulative methods.”
He said that Sanral have lost the trust and support of the public, which essentially makes e-tolling unsustainable and unacceptable.
Outa provides a “dispute your e-toll bill” facility on its website for road users to hold Sanral to account for any erroneous billing processes and to assist them in complying with standard business practice before paying invoices.
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