Bells tolled for SANRAL in High Court today, no N1/ N2 tolls in Western Cape!

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The South African National Roads Agency (SANRAL) today lost its bid in the Western Cape High Court to build toll stations on both the N1 and N2 highways outside Cape Town. The case had been brought against SANRAL by the City of Cape Town.

The Court found that the socio-economic effects of the planned toll roads had not been taken into account when the then Minister of Environmental Affairs had signed off the project; that the Minister of Transport had not considered the effect of tolling; and that the SANRAL CEO had made the decision alone without full Board approval, contrary to the SANRAL Act.

The Court found that if SANRAL were to pursue its plans for the Winelands highway toll roads covering a distance of 180 km, it would have to go back to basics, and support its planned project with a process of proper public participation. SANRAL has countered as a first reaction that it would not have the monies to maintain the N1 and N2 highways in the next 20 years without the tolls, and that 5000 jobs would be compromised.

Had the tolls been allowed, they would be three times as high as those in Gauteng!

A delighted Western Cape Minister of Economic Opportunities Alan Winde said about the outcome: ‘I applaud the City of Cape Town for their victory over SANRAL at the Western Cape High Court today. We have put a stop to the National Government’s proposed toll road scheme that would have had a crippling effect on our economy. In the Western Cape, our goal is to create an enabling environment for business. The National Government’s toll roads would have served as a deterrent to growth and jobs. Our economy, including new and emerging businesses, has been saved from the additional costs these toll roads would have imposed‘.

Source: Business Day