Toll fees drive abused motorists to distraction

Once again, motorists – already burdened by ever-rising fuel prices are facing significant increases in toll fees.

One understands the purpose of tolls: to collect funds for the maintenance and improvement of the major road infrastructure.

Indeed, the N2 - our major link to the province’s commercial, business, shopping, leisure and industrial centres – is a road well-travelled by our region’s citizens.

And by and large we will agree that – at least on a comparative basis with the country’s other major road routes – the N2 is reasonably well-maintained and safe to drive.

But for the average family, travel costs are becoming increasingly unaffordable and prohibitive and the number of outings to Durban, the midlands or the south coast will diminish drastically.

Besides struggling small businesses that source supplies in Durban, it also affects others, such as travelling school and sport teams.

But most of all, it affects the heavy vehicles that swamp the road infrastructure.

The long haul truck owners will have no choice but to pass on these increases to the poor consumer.

The price of foodstuffs, clothing, furniture and a host of other items will rise, starting another vicious cycle of increases.

The only other – and most likely - alternative for the truckers is to abandon the toll booth routes to save money, which will see an increase of heavy, slow-moving traffic on inferior and less maintained roads.

This, in turn, will result in more accidents and inconveniences.

If, for example, the R102 is used rather than the N2, we can expect trouble on the poorer quality minor routes, which will deteriorate at a quicker rate.

Which brings us back to the toll plaza increases, and why they are a source of irritation far beyond the extra rands we motorists must fork out.

The SA National Road Agency (Sanral) has a woeful record of wasteful and fruitless expenditure.

The entity has been lambasted in parliament for deviating from proper financial management practices and dubious contract processes that have resulted in billions of rands of taxpayers’ money being squandered.

Had Sanral been better managed, we might have been spared the imminent increases.

Are we paying now for their failures?