City tolling case ‘trial of century’

THE City’s application to scrap plans for the controversial Winelands N1 and N2 tolls is expected to be heard in the Western Cape High Court today.

The City brought the application forward to review and set aside SA National Road Agency Limited’s (Sanral’s) proposed tolling of portions of the N1 and N2 freeways.

In a statement released yesterday, Mayco member for transport Brett Herron said the City would argue, among others, that the decision and the implementation of tolling would have a damaging impact on the City and regional economy, and the tolling of the N1 and N2 would cause disproportionate financial harm and hardship to poor residents.

“Our application could be regarded as the trial of the century as the outcome will have far-reaching consequences for the future of our City and the generations who live here for decades to come,” Herron said.

Sanral spokesperson Vusi Mona downplayed the court case and said Sanral had a legitimate mandate from the government to operate.

“Unlike the City of Cape Town, Sanral will not resort to dramatic statements like ‘tolling trial of the century’. This is not the ‘be all and end all’ of tolling and that demon- ising Sanral, which has a legitimate mandate from government in the roll-out of a viable national road network, will not work,” he said.

In March the Supreme Court of Appeal overturned a Western Cape High Court judgment that the City and other parties to court proceedings may not disclose to a third party, including the media, information which Sanral would disclose as part of the City’s review application.

The court papers showed that the Winelands tolls would be 84.5c/km for light vehicles, compared to 30c/km charged by the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project.