Johannesburg - It is important that the detailed costs of proposed tolling projects are open for scrutiny by the very people who are expected to pay for these services, said Opposition To Urban Tolling Alliance (Outa) chair Wayne Duvenage.
"We believe it is extremely important that the detailed costs of proposed tolling projects, along with the planned tolling tariffs, expected revenues and the costs due to the tolling operators are open for scrutiny by the very people who are expected to pay for these services, before the toll declarations and plans are approved by the authorities," said Duvenage.
Outa said on Friday that it is pleased with the victory of the City of Cape Town in the Western Cape High Court.
The City opposed the application of the SA National Roads Agency (Sanral) to keep documents pertaining to plans for tolling in the Western Cape secret.
"Sanral’s attempt to prevent the City of Cape Town from filing papers in an open court is just another one of many examples of how this state owned entity displays a disregard for citizen’s rights of an open and transparent approach to matters that impact the public," Outa said.
"Over the past few years, Sanral has demanded confidentiality of its contracts in the court papers in Outa’s e-toll case and has blacked out pages of the e-toll contract agreement supplied to Cosatu and the DA in 2011."
Sanral also refused to share its tolling model when requested to do so by the media in 2011.
“The fact that Sanral feels otherwise is a display of disrespect to the people of South Africa and an attitude of gross arrogance,” said Outa.
Outa strongly opposes the tolling of highways in urban areas and believes that commuter routes fall into the category of social infrastructure and should be funded using general taxation and the fuel levy.
"Sanral’s choice of forcing the e-toll system into Gauteng has been a waste of tax payer’s money and this kind of behavior begins to undermine the legitimacy of the state," said Outa joint spokesperson John Clarke.
"It appears the City of Cape Town may be able to avert the same fate that was destined for its roads, if Sanral had its way."
Clarke said he “feels the two victories by the City of Cape Town against Sanral, has dealt a massive blow against the once respected state owned entity’s plans to toll in that region”.
"This victory will now enable the public, economists and infrastructure funding experts to scrutinise Sanral’s tolling model and expose the problems and rationality of their plans," he said.
