e-tags go National

 

07 November 2012 - 15:04
By Sapa

The e-tag system will be rolled out at toll plazas in provinces other than Gauteng, Sanral said on Wednesday.

"We want to use this technology at the very toll system that we... [presently] have. There is a roll-out programme within the existing programme," said SA National Roads Agency Limited's project manager Alex van Niekerk.

However, this did not mean that the e-tolling system would be rolled out to the rest of the country.

"There is no decision by government as far as what happens to other provinces," said transport department spokesman Tiyani Rikhotso.

Van Niekerk said that by using e-tags, motorists would be able to proceed smoothly through toll plazas without having to stop and physically pay. This would reduce traffic congestion at toll plazas.

He said the roll-out of the e-tag system would also not necessitate the building of gantries on all the highways, as was happening in Gauteng.

Van Niekerk said 10,000 motorists were already using e-tags at the Bakwena Toll Plaza, on the N4 between Gauteng and the north and north-western parts of the country.

He and Rikhotso were talking during a media tour of the Sanral operations centre in Midrand.

For the latest updates follow @Jacanews