Avaaz and e tolling

[Dave A]

From what I have heard the government's pension fund is in the etoll system.

That might explain something. The other day I heard mention that the civil servants pension fund's liquid reserve is much lower than it should be just at the moment.

The official response was - No cause for alarm. But it does make you wonder...

[Didditmiself]

I already mentioned that the Pension Fund would be affected by the collapse of the e-tolling system, in my post a couple of days ago.....

[Dave A]

No slight intended - just picked the last post on the subject. Judging by the dateline, it must have been an article I read over the weekend then, because it certainly wasn't in my head when I replied to your post.

The delay in e-tolling must be taking it's toll

[ericlowry]

Correct, the pension fund is being used to fund the etoll. Hit them in the pocket and Sanral will have to talk to the public. Let's all stick together and refuse to be bullied by them. Don't pay the etoll, we've already paid for the roads.

[Didditmiself]

No slight taken Dave!

[Didditmiself]

It will be interesting to see how this pans out: Currently in the Midrand area there is a huge retail development that has just started (Waterfall Park) - somewhere in the billions - not millions, of Rands - and due for completion in 2 or 3 years. Now the N1 (commonly known as the Ben Schoeman highway) runs right through this development (which will be on either side of the highway). Sanral have their ugly gantries all along this route. I'm sure that when the plans were drawn up in 2006, the late Dullah Omar and his cronies must've known about this project and they would've been licking their lips when they realized how much additional traffic would pass under their gantries as a result.
If, in the unlikely event that Sanral manage to force the system into operation, warts and all, how the hell are they going to properly administer all the additional traffic that will pass under the gantries? Even if everybody buys an e tag and there are no further disruptions, anyone who works or travels on the N1 will attest that when you see the cars coming over the hill it's like a Tsunami with 6 lanes of traffic coming towards you. At night it looks like a huge moving Christmas tree with thousands of lights!! Pity our photographer Neville Bailey can't take one of his excellent pics to show others what it looks like!
So, like I said, it will be interesting to see how the palookas collect 'revenue' (and prosecute defaulters) when the JHB municipality can't even read electrical meters and send out accounts properly and that is like chicken-feed in comparison to reading in excess of 100,000 car number-plates a day on just 1 road!!!

[Dave S]

...reading in excess of 100,000 car number-plates a day on just 1 road!!!

I think that is maybe the "per hour" figure during peak times, the figure per day is probably closer to having an extra zero, the N1/N3 interchange is the busiest in Africa, with all 20x lanes converging onto the N1. Going through the gantries at the point you mentioned are 12x lanes (6x North, 6x South). Just to emphasise the point to those that don't travel this way.

[Justloadit]

Micros and computers will have no problem logging the data, as this is all electronic. Each camera has its own CPU, and running at millions of instructions per second, will make it an easy picking. Effectively, it would be the same as handling the GSM mobile platform, there are millions of simultaneous calls, and the systems cope.

What SANRAL did not expect was the huge resistance from the folk who use the roads daily, that's where the bottle neck will be, physically collecting the cash, that is the reason they wanted the user's bank accounts, so that they could automate the process, and skim their loot out your account, even before you passed the gantry.

So the more difficult we make the physical collection of the actual money, the more bogged down the collection system will become.

Sending out invoices via email, or even sending out an SMS every time you pass a gantry is really no hard work for automated systems as it is all electronic, however, if they do not have your email address, or do not have your cell phone number, and only have your postal address, then a physical invoice has to be printed, which means that a printer has to be manned, and then take the invoice and insert it into an envelope, and get it to the Post office for delivery. Now the invoice and envelop can also be automated, as some municipal bills are done, or as ARTO traffic fines are done, BUT the POST Office will not be able to cope with the mountain of mail to deliver, and add to this the regular strikes, and SANRAL is deep in the poo.

Have you not noted the current advertising? they are trying to brainwash the folks in the best payment methods, as they have realised that they will not get their money in fast enough. Just as a side note, they have spent R85 million in advertising.

[wynn]

Will they be able to stick it to you via the municipality when you try to re-licence your car??

[Justloadit]

It's very possible, but then they are making the municipality a collecting agent for their fees. Not sure if that will stick, cos the municipality has no participation in the eToll income, so why would they bother.