Thousands submit responses over e-toll amendments
An anti e-tolling group says it's encouraged by the over 100 000 people that took the time to comment on a gazette that could apparently force Gauteng road-users who have not been paying e-tolls to fork out the money.
Yesterday was the deadline for comments on the Transport Department’s gazette, which aims to amend the Administrative Adjudication of Road Offences Act, to include e-toll infringements into the normal traffic fine and violations process.
Last month, the Opposition to Urban Tolling Alliance warned the public that changes to the AARTO legislation could be a ploy to force road users to pay their e-toll bills and fines.
But Sanral says connecting the amendments in the gazette with e-tolling is a “misjudgement”.
The Alliance's spokesperson John Clarke says no good can come out of this.
"We think its a bad precedent, because it dilutes what is really a proper law enforcement thing to stop people from infringing on the road. I can expect that we are going to probably find them saying 'sorry, we're going to end this'. So there are going to be delays," he said.
The e-toll system has been widely opposed since its inception in 2013.
(File photo: Gallo Images)