You have probably driven on a toll road if you have travelled on South Africa’s roads. Toll roads serve a purpose for motorists. Approximately 16% of South African roads are tolled.1 So, what do you need to know about toll roads?
Why are there toll roads?2,3,4
South Africa has had toll roads since the 1700’s. SANRAL or the South African National Roads Agency parastatal is responsible for maintaining, managing and developing South Africa’s road network, which includes toll roads.
Tolls are used as a means to fund specific new roads and maintain existing roads. Road maintenance includes regular resurfacing, road drainage, extra signage, clearing any debris, fixing potholes, fixing cracks, and adding lanes when needed. Lastly, it would consist of cutting the grass along the road to improve visibility and reduce the likelihood of veld fires.
What types of toll roads are there?
There are two overall types of toll roads in South Africa. Firstly, there are the physical booth-type toll roads, which before entering the toll road, you are presented with a boom and a person inside the payment booth. A motorist in a light motor vehicle needs to pay upfront to access the tolled road due to the boom blocking the toll road. Payment can be made electronically via a tag, with cash or with applicable Visa and Mastercard bank cards, garage cards, and fleet cards. Diners Club cards and American Express cards are not accepted ways to pay for your toll fee. Heavy vehicles such as trucks can pay with cash, Zimile Toll debit cards and fleet cards from a South African fleet card issuer.
Secondly, there are e-tolls, these are an electronic tolling system that covers many major highways in Gauteng. E-toll fees are paid via unique electronic tags that are placed inside motorists’ vehicles or upon receiving a bill in the post or accessing bills online amongst several other ways of paying. The toll fees are calculated when you pass under gantry structures that stretch across certain roads or highways. Electronic devices in these gantries record your number plate and vehicle when you pass underneath them. Heavy vehicles pay for their e-tolls in a similar way to motorists who drive light motor vehicles.
So, vehicles pay toll fees based on the ‘class’ of their vehicle.
There are different classes for different vehicles3
- Class 1: This class is for light motor vehicles such as cars and SUVs.
- Class 2 – 4: These classes are designated for heavy vehicles, which include the various types of trucks and related vehicles.
Why have toll roads?4
Roads of all types are expensive to build and maintain. There is not enough money to maintain and build these roads from the funds government collects from taxes. These roads require funding via tolling but do they benefit us?
What are the benefits of toll roads?4
Toll roads are constructed and cared for according to the highest possible standard, which means your driving experience will be as enjoyable as possible.
Now you know more about tolls and toll roads. How much do you know about affordable car insurance? Perhaps consider getting affordable car insurance with PMD?
Sources:
General knowledge was used for this article where applicable
1 https://www.transport.gov.za/roads
2 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SANRAL
3 https://www.drivesouthafrica.com/za/blog/toll-roads-in-south-africa/
4 https://www.arrivealive.mobi/toll-roads-in-south-africa
This article was prepared by Eric Sandmann in his personal capacity. The views and opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own. The views and opinions in the article should not be attributed to anyone but the author unless expressly stated. Nothing in this article should be relied upon as advice, this publication is presented for informational purposes only. No person should act or refrain from acting in reliance on any information found in this article, without first obtaining proper financial advice from the appropriate professional. The author makes no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, or completeness, of any information linked from, referred to, or contained in this article. The author reserves the right, to edit and change the content of this article.