GAUTENG'S PREPAID TOLL SOLUTION
...Continued from Home Page
Should a visitor outside Gauteng enter the system, signage will warn the motorist to go to the nearest satellite centre to register, or to phone a toll-free number. It may also be possible to buy a day pass at a retail outlet before entering the system.
Van Niekerk says the proposed toll fee is currently set at 50c/km, but notes that inflation has probably impacted on this already. He says a discount will be offered to regular users, using a sliding scale. Van Niekerk explains that this means a commuter will pay the full fee for the first ten trips, for example, with costs then reducing in a step-by-step fashion the further the commuter travels. Public transport vehicles, such as minibus taxis, will have the benefit of driving in the lanes reserved for vehicles with three or more occupants, as well as receiving a discount on toll fees.
Tolling will be the method used to fund the Gauteng Free Improvement Project, which is a multiphased project currently under way to expand and widen the province’s freeway network, currently choking under increased congestion. Phase one carries an estimated R15,1-billion price tag, excluding Vat.
Van Niekerk says implementing the toll scheme comes after extensive market research – 27 000 interviews – in aspects of commuter behaviour. He adds that some other city freeways in the country are currently under investigation to become toll roads, such as the N1/N2 approach to Cape Town, and the R300 Cape Town ring road. Also included are the roads around the new Dube Trade Port, in Durban.
PROJECT 1: N1 Between Golden Highway and Midrand (Government Notice 962 of Gazette 30372) Off-ramps where toll gantry’s will be situated:
Jukskei (Between Allandale and Buccleuch) Woodmead (Between Buccleuch and Rivionia Road) Main Road (Between Rivonia Road and William Nicol) Curzon Road (Between William Nicol and Hans Strydom) Hans Strydom (Between Hans Strydom and Beyers Naude) 9th Avenue (Between Beyers Naude and 14th Avenue) Gordon Road (Between Gordon Road and Maraisburg) New Canada (Between Maraisburg and Soweto Interchange) Rand Show (Between Soweto Interchange and Rand Show Interchange) Diepkloof (Between Diepkloof Interchange and Golden Highway)
Comments to be directed to:
The Regional Manager: Northern Region
South African National Roads Agency Limited (SANRAL) POSTNET SUITE 110 PRIVATE BAG X19 MENLO PARK
0102
FAX: 086-647-0694
PROJECT 2: N1 Between Midrand and Proefplaas (Government Notice 963 of Gazette 30372) Off-ramps where toll gantry’s will be situated:
New Road (Between New Road and Olifantsfontein) SamRand (Between Olifantsfontein and SamRand) Nellmapius (Between Rooihuiskraal and Brakfontein Interchange) Technopark (Between Brakfontein and John Vorster) Airforce Base (Between Botha Ave and Flying Saucer Interchange) Waterkloof (Between Flying Saucer Interchange and Rigel Avenue Interchange) Kings Highway (Between Lynwood Rd and N4 Interchange)
Comments to be directed to:
The Regional Manager: Northern Region
South African National Roads Agency Limited (SANRAL) POSTNET SUITE 129 PRIVATE BAG X19 MENLO PARK
0102
FAX: 086-647-0695
PROJECT 3: N4 Between Proefplaas and Swartkoppies (Government Notice 964 of Gazette 30372) Off-ramps where toll gantry’s will be situated:
Botanical Gardens (Between Proefplaas Interchange and Val de Grace
Interchange)
Equestria (Between Simon Vermooten and Swartkoppies Interchange)
Comments to be directed to:
The Regional Manager: Northern Region
South African National Roads Agency Limited (SANRAL) POSTNET SUITE 108 PRIVATE BAG X19 MENLO PARK
0102
FAX: 086-647-0699
PROJECT 4: N3 Between Heidelberg and Buccleuch (Government Notice 965 of Gazette 30372) Off-ramps where toll gantry’s will be situated:
Buccleuch (Between Buccleuch Interchange and Marlboro Drive) London Road (Between Marlboro Drive and London Road) Modderfontein Road (Between Modderfontein Interchange and Linksfield Road) Linksfield (Between Linksfield Road and Gilooly’s Interchange) Kloof (Between Kloof Road and Geldenhuys Interchange) Geldenhuys Interchange (Between Geldenhuys Interchange and Rand Airport
Interchange)
Rand Airport Interchange (Between Geldenhuys Interchange and Rand Airport
Interchange)
Heidelberg Road (Between Grey Avenue and Heidelberg Road)
Comments to be directed to:
The Regional Manager: Northern Region
South African National Roads Agency Limited (SANRAL) POSTNET SUITE 146 PRIVATE BAG X19 MENLO PARK
0102
FAX: 086-647-0696
PROJECT 5: N12 Between Gilooly’s and Gauteng/Mpumalanga Provincial Border (Government Notice 966 of Gazette 30372) Off-ramps where toll gantry’s will be situated:
Bedfordview (Between Gilooly’s Interchange and R24 Interchange) Rietfontein (Between Jet Park Interchange and Rietfontein Interchange) Atlas Road (Between Rondebult Interchange and Atlas Road) Tom Jones (Between Atlas Road and Tom Jones)
Comments to be directed to:
The Regional Manager: Northern Region
South African National Roads Agency Limited (SANRAL) POSTNET SUITE 107 PRIVATE BAG X19 MENLO PARK
0102
FAX: 086-647-0698
PROJECT 6: N12 Between Diepkloof and Elands Interchange (Government Notice
967 of Gazette 30372)
Off-ramps where toll gantry’s will be situated:
Ridgeway (Between Diepkloof Interchange and Ridgeway Interchange) Kliprivier (Between Klip Rivier Bridge and Comaro) Comaro (Between Comaro and Reading Interchange) Reading (Between Reading Interchange and Voortrekker Interchange)
Comments to be directed to:
The Regional Manager: Northern Region
South African National Roads Agency Limited (SANRAL) POSTNET SUITE 139 PRIVATE BAG X19 MENLO PARK
0102
FAX: 086-647-0697
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT SANRAL NORTHERN REGION ON:
TEL: 012 426 6200
FAX: 012 348 0883
EMAIL: info(at)nra.co.za
ENGEN LONEHILL DOING THE RIGHT THING
Lonehill's ENGEN garage leads the way when it comes to doing the right thing. The big man himself, Martin Gouws (that's him standing on top of the tanker), explained that this is the first ENGEN station in Gauteng to install the latest in environmentally friendly forecourt underground systems.
You've all seen what a mess the bricks and surface area looks like around the pumps. Where there's an engine, there's a leak of some sort. And of course, the pump jockeys themselves are not always careful when filling your jalopy with juice either - always a spill. What happens to this pollutant - usually just gets washed into the stormwater systems and seeps into the local ground water network says Martin. But no longer will that happen at this garage!
Special undergound concrete slabs made of non-porous materials are being laid to trap all of the spillage and drippage etc. They're laid at a specific angle to facilitate run-off into two special tanks, which will allow separation of the different liquids and pollutants, which will then be removed by a special vehicle designed to efficiently detox the tanks on a regular basis.
Well done Martin, and ENGEN. Another first for Lonehill.
NEOTEL LAYS FIBRE CABLE LINK THROUGH LONEHILL
The communications companies are at it again! This time it's NEOTEL, who are busy laying a fibre optic link cable for their new shopping centre roof based aerial installation.
Great news, really, as it gives us all a number of choices and options, and should improve our communications infrastructure quite significantly.
Bit of a difference though in how they are doing it compared to the previous exercise! This lot is all manual labour, a simple backactor, and a few hole boring machines to create under-roadway cable runs. They're also doing it pretty quickly and should be done in a week or two.
Not all goes well though! It was bound to happen....the backactor crew managed to slice through an underground ESKOM cable, cutting off electricity to the shopping centre and a few surrounding complexes! The ESKOM cable repair should not take too long and all will be back to normal.
VODACOM LAYS FIBRE CABLE THROUGH LONEHILL
The last few weeks have seen Lonehill Boulevard being "hacked" by some strange machinery! This is called progress, and is preparation for the installation of higher speed communications than we have at present.
First, one of the "cutter / excavator" trucks (each one has its own name - yes, named after girls!) cuts the trench in the road, and vacuums out the rubble. Then another truck and trailer lays the Fibre Optic cable sheaths into the trench. These are all heat and pressure sealed on the joints as you can see in one of the pictures.
After this, the trench is filled with a cement like compound, and finally, the top is filled with tar again. Only once the entire route has been completed, is the fibre optic cable inserted into the sheaths. This is a very expensive process, but the job is done very quickly, and we don't have any overhead cables.