Being in the transport business, roads are part of who we are and what we do. South Africa’s total road network is about 747 000km, the longest network of roads in any African country. The drive from Musina on South Africa’s northern border to Cape Town is a 2 000km journey on well-maintained roads.
While the Department of Transport is responsible for overall policy, road-building and maintenance is the responsibility of the South African National Roads Agency (Sanral) as well as the nine provinces and local governments.
Sanral is responsible for the country’s network of national roads, which cover around 16 200km. There are about 185 000km of provincial roads and the municipal network totals around 66 000km, according to the SA Institute of Civil Engineering.
Around 19% of the national roads are toll roads, most of which are maintained by Sanral, while the rest have been given to private companies to develop, operate and maintain.
A recent multibillion rand freeway improvement scheme has significantly eased congestion on the roads in Gauteng, the country’s busiest province.
Approximately 88% of the country’s freight transportation takes place on roads. There are 3 000 trucks on average using the N3 route from Durban to Johannesburg every day. If truck transportation trends continue without the increased use of rail, it is speculated that the number of trucks traveling this route will drastically increase to an average of 13 000 per day in the next 30 years.
E-toll (consists of electronic toll collection in Gauteng) which is a burning issue at the moment for all road users. With this controversial issue and with more than half of the population refusing to pay the toll, we are unsure of what the final outcome will be. FDK Transport is a registered user of e-tolls. We believe in doing what is right, even when it seems wrong or unfair. However, a great advantage of the e-tag is when we drive through other provinces’ toll gates. We don’t have to queue or swipe a card… we simply drive through the boom as it opens automatically. Quick, simple and easy! Our entire fleet has a tag which is paid on a monthly basis. Thanks e-toll!
Contact FDK Transport for reliable, efficient service. Call us today on 079 986 5195.