Part of me may reconsider this decision having just had the
suspension replaced on my Jeep although I can probably attribute most of the
damage to the 18yo driving it, Top Gear, style off road over the past year.
I have no real need to use the toll roads, I may occasionally
use the N1 for 3 junctions or the R21 for 1 junction to reach the majority of
my volunteer work, but I don’t think I can be bothered with the hassle of
setting up an account for once or twice a week for what will amount to just a
few Rand.
I can reach all my destinations with a little bit of forward
planning and a good street map I recently purchased. I will need to plan a
route that avoids the etolls for any airport runs, but I’m fairly confident on
that and I may have to rethink the whole idea when the Santa Shoebox season is
in full swing, September to December, and I have to travel to the North of
Pretoria, but for now I’m NOT paying etolls because I simply have no need to
travel those routes.
I know many people who are refusing to pay their accounts,
but like the UK poll tax, it caught up with them and I suspect a few are
already considering purchasing an etag to save a bit of money.
I do however see the benefits of etolls, here my tax disc
costs around R250 a year compared to £400 in the UK and although fuel prices
are catching up, the fuel tax is lower here. The M10, the route I currently use
is pitted with pot holes, congestion and a lot of accidents causing delays and
I do have to go slightly off route to reach it, so may not actually be saving
any money, but like I said before, it’s the hassle, not the cost of etolls that
I’m avoiding.
How about you?
