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The FF Plus today launched an online petition against the proposed Gauteng toll gate tariffs which is expected to come into operation in June 2011. The party is of the opinion that the proposed tariffs are completely exorbitant.

“Road users are increasingly being taxed with the establishment of new toll gate structures throughout the country. The government should listen to the voice of the public who can not carry the costs anymore. This toll gate system will damage the economy of the Gauteng province. The public should however also now rise up and make their voices heard against the ridiculously high toll gate tariffs,” Adv. Alberts, Parliamentary spokesperson for the FF Plus on Transport said.

The South African National Road Agency Limited (SANRAL) has calculated the initial tariff to be 50c per kilometer. The FF Plus views this tariff as being too high and will, through this petition, put pressure on SANRAL for the tariff to be 5c a kilometer. There is already some talk that SANRAL will raise the initial tariff to 70c a kilometer,” Adv. Alberts added.

The FF Plus has already been successful against SANRAL by objecting to benefits which SANRAL had offered its employees, which included unfair services such as shoulder and neck massages. Adv. Alberts questioned these benefits in a question he posed in Parliament to the Minister of Transport and in reaction the Minister cancelled these fringe benefits.

The FF Plus also wants to prevent toll gates being erected unnecessarily. In a follow-up parliamentary question, the Minister indicated in his reply that at present 33 main route and 37 off-ramp plazas exist throughout the country. The construction of another two toll gate systems are being considered at present; one on the Wild Coast route between KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape and the other on the N3 between Candella Street Bridge (eThekwini) and the Cedara Inter-change (Hilton) in KwaZulu-Natal. The FF Plus is also intending to closely monitor these developments and oppose the construction thereof if it does not make any economic sense.

This campaign is in line with the party’s intention of continuing to act in the interest of taxpayers. Various other initiatives will follow in future.

The petition can be signed at any of the following two web-page addresses:
www.tolhekpetisie.org.za <http://www.tolhekpetisie.org.za/> ; and www.tollgatepetition.org.za <http://www.tollgatepetition.org.za/>