Sanral operations centre officially unveiled

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Midrand – Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe has officially unveiled the South African National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) e-toll central operations centre in Midrand.

The Deputy President said while over 1.2 million motorists have e-tags, more road users were still registering.

“The operational commencement of a system that has an immediate impact on approximately 2.5 million monthly users will unfortunately not happen without initial teething problems,” he said.

The operation of the e-tolling system in Gauteng started on 3 December 2013.

The outgoing Deputy President said government was aware of the system challenges around e-tolling, adding that he was assured that Sanral was doing everything possible to resolve the problems.

Thanking motorists and businesses that have already purchased e-tags, Deputy President Motlanthe said this was a nation-building move and could only augur well for a better country.

He also expressed his confidence that the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project (GFIP) would lead to less congestion and enhanced economic growth in the country’s industrial heartland.

With taxis and commuter buses exempt from paying tolls, the Deputy President said there would be increased mobility and accessibility, and the poor commuter would experience an improved quality of life.

The Deputy President said GFIP was one of government’s largest projects to date.

“It comprises different phases to upgrade and implement new freeway networks. We need infrastructure that promotes a healthy and prosperous society. Our economy is stable but unfortunately, the gap between rich and poor is widening.

“To meet this challenge, we have the responsibility of creating wealth in a way that is socially and environmentally sustainable.

“We need to bring people together to connect them to jobs and services, but such improvements should not come at the expense of more traffic and pollution, nor should the costs outweigh the benefits”.

Upgrades to highway network

Deputy President Motlanthe said the Gauteng e-road project was an important contributor to keeping South Africa's economic hub moving.

The country's first multi-lane, free-flow inter-operable toll system, which uses Electronic Toll Collection (ETC), provides road users with a smoother, safer journey.

Covering 201km of road, the network now has wider freeways, with up to six lanes in each direction.

Thirty-four upgraded interchanges make for easy highway transitions. Road user safety is enhanced through improved lighting, real-time signage and a freeway management system focused on sustainable road maintenance and incident management.

The Gauteng Freeway Management System is made possible by high definition cameras monitoring the e-tolled roads and linked to the centre. The sophisticated system implements the on-road services, which provides emergency medical responses in the event of an accident, towing services and constant monitoring of traffic flow on the Gauteng freeway network.

The objective is to improve the safety of motorists, particularly in the event of an accident and reduce the impact of accidents on the flow of traffic. Services are decentralised at strategic positions across the network to allow for rapid response to incidents.

In 2012, Sanral demonstrated to reporters how the system is operated. This included the transaction process cycle from roadside collection to the transaction clearing house and the violations processing centre for outstanding fees.

Sanral CEO Nazir Alli said: “These improved road services are clearly appreciated by the users, who continue to pay in increasing numbers - both the registered and the unregistered users.

“Sanral is thankful for this loyal support and urges all users to pay up - and those who have used their democratic right to oppose e-tolling, to accept that it is now a reality as court after court has confirmed.”

Transport is the backbone of the South African economy and there is a need for the country to further improve its roads condition in order to meet the growing demands of the economy. - SAnews.gov.za