Toll road fee increase causes traffic snarl-up

Motorists fuming about toll road tariff increases caused a major traffic jam at Durban’s Mariannhill Toll on Friday afternoon.

South African National Roads Agency (Sanral) announced on Thursday that the minister of transport‚ Dipuo Peters‚ had approved toll tariff adjustments proposed by the agency and gazetted on February 16.

Increases that became effective on Friday‚ affect motorists using the N3 toll between Johannesburg and Durban‚ the N4 highway between the Mozambican border and the Botswana border‚ as well as toll road sections on the N1‚ N2‚ N17 and R30.

A car trip to Johannesburg from Durban will now cost R229 up from R215.

One motorist stuck in the traffic at the Mariannhill plaza — which increased its fare from R10 to R11 — said she waited in a 2km queue for about 25 minutes.

“The queue is on both sides of the road as motorists were furious about the increase‚” she said. “Many said they didn’t know about the change.”

Posters had been placed at the tolls informing motorists of the increases.