According to Sanral CEO Nasir Ali, if you can’t afford to pay for your etolls, there is a very simple solution: you can simply move.

Ali made this suggestion to former Minister of Transport Jeff Radebe in documents during the road agency’s application to implement etolls on the Western Cape winelands route. According to Netwerk24 (Network24), the same suggestion was made to Radebe about the etolls in Gauteng.

“Current road users who can’t afford the suggested toll tariffs, or who want to limit their toll expenses, have the choice to use alternative routes, use public transport, form lift clubs, or they should move closer to where their final destination will be,” Ali said in court documents.

Ali’s statement to Radebe, was revealed in documentation filed in the Western Cape High Court by the Cape Town City Council in its bid to have the Winelands etoll route declared illegal.

Netwerk24 wrote that researchers who determined the effects of the proposed toll route are against the idea, as they say that poor and middle-class residents won’t be able to afford to simply move to a different suburb.

[Image – CC by 2.0/Sam Gewinski]