I was going to write my column on radio signals that can jam car alarms, but then I read the news and now we’re rather going to talk about e-tolling.
I was going to write my column on radio signals that can jam car alarms, but then I read the news and now we’re rather going to talk about e-tolling.
The dust is slowly being wiped off the gantry Goliaths in Gauteng and e-tags are being rolled out to the multitudes. E-tags have been around for ages – they’re an optional way for the driver to be electronically billed whilst commuting through toll gates. Keyword: optional.
The e-tags are supposed to lessen congestion at the toll gates, making life quicker and hassle free. In all honesty it’s just making it easier for non-Gautengers to be billed by the province’s electronic gantries where there is no manual payment option. Now we’re all expected to cave in and buy them because apparently if we don’t then the other eight provinces will get the gantries too.
Essentially all of us are being bullied into conceding to e-tolling.
Even though we’ve been told by the South African National Roads Agency Limited that e-tolling is pretty much a guarantee, Gautengers have put their feet firmly down. “Most of us are just holding on [til]the bitter end. We’ve been told that we’ll be billed around three times as much if we don’t register but we refuse to give in to their blackmail,” said Krugersdorp resident Walter Schirlinger. Yes, yes he is my father.
Change is inevitable, except from a car guard in High Street. But Cosatu and the Opposition to Urban Tolling Alliance (OUTA) are firmly against this change. Many motorists are complaining that e-tolling has the potential to bankrupt their businesses due to the expensive rates and lack of alternative toll-free routes.
South Africa isn’t exactly the poster-child for immaculate roads even with the large amounts of toll gates scattered between our main cities, so what about other countries that do have roads smooth enough to play pool on?
Results from international tests show that the United States, Chile and Canada have the highest quality of roads in the world. The USA has its own form of e-tags, called the EZ Tag. Canada is also known for excessively high toll rates and all of Chile’s highways have tolls. Therefore if the government is planning on robbing us blind they’d better reimburse us with the most immaculately cared for tarmac in existence.
Time will tell if the people shall overcome parliament. In the meantime, hang in their Gautengers! As a closing note, sometimes if you park near a radio station’s studio, the radio waves can block your car’s alarm system.
