WHAT AND WHO IS OUTA: Opposition to Urban Tolling Alliance.
Following numerous calls to support the challenge to oppose the electronic tolling of our freeways in Gauteng, OUTA has been established by a collective of concerned business associations (see Associations Supporters list on this web site) to form a coordinated strategy to oppose e-Tolling of Gauteng’s freeways. After consultation with a formidable and experienced legal team, our legal challenge to halt e-tolling was lodged in time to enable a judgment prior to the planned e-Toll launch at the end of April 2012.
OUR AIM: Is to halt the proposed implementation of e-Tolling in Gauteng.
In our drive to oppose e-tolling of our Gauteng’s urban roads, care must be taken to spell out the following values and behaviour that all people and organisations who join in this effort, should subscribe to:-
- We support the need for the GFIP (Gauteng Freeway Improvement Plan) and for all future urban and other route construction and improvements, as and when these become necessary to meet our transportation needs in South Africa.
- We intend to be constructive in our approach to seek the best funding solutions of our roads and for the benefit of the country’s citizens. We regard a legal challenge to e-tolling as being one such constructive measure at our disposal.
- We support the role of the South African Government in its endeavor to formulate equitable solutions in striving to meet the needs of all its citizens.
OVERVIEW
Without roads, societies grind to a halt. Without adequate and well maintained roads, societies will remain inefficient and uncompetitive. Over time, our roads will require maintenance, repairs, expansion and upgrading – this is a fact of life that we and authorities have the responsibility to plan and provide for.
Road users currently pay through a number of taxes for the benefit of road use. The proposed funding of the GFIP by means of e-Tolling is regarded as an inefficient, costly and unnecessary additional burden on road users. We believe e-Tolling of our Gauteng Freeways as proposed by SANRAL is irrational and unreasonable and was not planned with the best intentions for the public in mind. This forms the overarching basis of our opposition to e-Tolling, with more details about why we oppose eTolling and the grounds thereof available in the next window.