The Opposition to Urban Tolling Alliance (OUTA) is disputing claims by Deputy President Cyril Ramphosa that thousands of motorists are signing up for etolls.
During a recent question session in parliament Deputy President Cyril Ramphosa explained that more motorists in Gauteng are signing up for etoll tags and paying outstanding fees since the new regulations and discounts were unveiled at the end of May.
But OUTA begs to differ, saying that the Deputy President is trying to pull the wool over motorists eyes.
“OUTA takes with a pinch of salt the claim by the Deputy President that thousands of motorists are enquiring and taking up the offers of discounts from the new dispensation. This is merely a feeble attempt aimed at hoodwinking the public into thinking there has been a swing of positive sentiment toward the scheme,” it said in a statement on its site. .
Wayne Duvenage, OUTA’s chairperson explained that these were the same methods used when Sanral first started implementing the tolling on Gauteng’s freeways.
“These were the same tactics that SANRAL used during the launch of the scheme eighteen months ago, and the maximum compliance they could achieve under threats of criminal charges for non-payment, was 45 per cent in June 2014,” he said.
OUTA added that even with the relaxed regulations of fees and a reduction in the maximum monthly toll cap, over 2 million motorists, roughly 80 per cent of Gauteng’s freeway users are not paying for e-tolls.
“While we can imagine there might be a few thousand motorists enquiring about the new dispensation, the final number that will fall for these shallow tactics will be in the minority, just as it was in 2014. This time around, we are confident the authorities will not even achieve last year’s maximum levels of compliance.”
It concluded by adding that “the public are being treated like fools with these hollow carrots and are very weary that the rate of today, will not be the rate of tomorrow. The e-toll defiance is not about the money and the tariffs. It’s about a grossly unjust and irrational scheme.”
[Image – CC by 2.0/BY-YOUR]
