Outa: Gazette aims to fine E-Toll users

©Wavebreak Media Ltd via 123RF

The Department of Transport published the Gazette on 7 December 2015, which requests comment from the public before the closing date of 6 January 2016. This is the second major gazette published over the festive season. Fin24 broke a story this month, revealing another gazette authorising the next step in the nuclear procurement programme.

While this gazette seeks to amend the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (AARTO) Act, Duvenage believes it is in an attempt to make it easier to include e-toll infringements into the adjudication process by the Road Traffic Infringement Agency (RTIA).

A flawed form

Duvenage said the modification to the infringement notice process through the use of a new form is flawed. "It is designed to include multiple infringement entries being included onto a single page, seemingly to assist Sanral (SA National Roads Agency) in trying to treat the non-payment of e-tolls as a traffic violation," he said. "By doing so, the entire infringement notification process becomes impractical and almost un-administrable," said Duvenage.

"This new form is flawed in that it does not provide proof that the driver's vehicle was at the scene of the incident noted, as there is no photograph provided for each and every infringement listed. "There is also an absence of a unique reference number or magisterial district listed per incident, which is required for dispute resolution purposes".

He urged the public to participate in responding to the gazette, because he said "the amendments are impractical and infringe on the motoring public's rights to defend themselves from an unworkable processes, if the proposed amendments to the regulations are approved".

Source: Fin24

Read this report on News24Wire.com.