By Staff. Reporter
Time wasted is never regained ,long quees not wanted any more on Tall gates as TRAC N4 has made it easier for it’s road users in Paying toll fees on the TRAC N4 Route by introducing of Express lanes at the Nkomazi Plaza near Mbombela.
Express Lanes were introduced to the South African section of the route in 2019, at the Diamond Hill Plaza. Road
users took to them so well that Trans African Concessions decided to establish this convenient toll payment method
at all of its mainline plazas in South Africa, with the roll-out campaign starting at the Nkomazi Plaza.
Express Lanes are electronic, tag-only lanes, which road users go through while travelling at a maximum speed of 40
km/h. They are different from Tag-Only lanes, in which road users must come to an almost complete stop to activate
their tag.
Express Lanes also enable electronic tag users to use a dedicated lane, completely separate from the normal toll
plaza lanes, which eliminates the occurrence of tag holders having to reverse in tag-only lanes when another road
user erroneously attempts to drive through one.
Express lanes are situated on the extreme left of the plaza (in each direction) and work in three phases, namely:
⢠1 â First boom: Found as you enter the Express Lane. The signage for this boom either shows âTag Onlyâ
(when the lane is open) or a red cross (when the lane is closed).
⢠2 â Reading zone: This is the area where the tag is read, and road users must drive below 40km/h. It
functions as a âpre-clearingâ zone to determine if the vehicle has a tag, if the tag is functional and if it has
sufficient funds.
⢠3 â Proceed point (left boom) and ejection point (right boom).
If the automatic, electronic tag has funds and is in working order, the road user will see two green arrows and the
word âproceedâ. The boom on the left of the Express Lane will open and, once through the boom, the road user will
join the main road after the plaza. If there is no tag in the vehicle, the electronic tag is faulty or the funds are
depleted, the road user will see two red arrows and the word ââEjectâ. The boom on the right will open, and the road
user will be directed back to the manual plaza booths to pay via an alternative payment method.
Although the Express Lanes enable road users to pay their toll fee while in motion, everyone using these lanes is
advised to keep a safe following distance from the vehicle in front of them, while in the express lane. There are
various reasons for this, including that if a tag is rejected while in the lane, being too close to the vehicle ahead may
result in the driverâs inability to use the exit lane on time. This will cause traffic congestion in the lane.
Press Release
âExpress Lanes speak to the ease and convenience of automatic, electronic tag payments,â says TRAC CEO Alex van
Niekerk. âThey alleviate traffic congestion during peak times and offer a safer, completely contactless form of paying
toll fees. Itâs with this in mind that we will soon be launching them at our Machado and Middelburg Plazas too.â
Those who prefer to do things manually can still do so, as all existing payment methods, including electronic
payments, are still accepted at all other TRAC toll plaza lanes. These are:
Class 1: Cash, credit card, e-Tag, garage/petro card, fleet card and TRAC concession card.
Class 2 â 4: Cash, fleet card, e-Tag and TRAC concession card.
Road users are reminded that debit cards, Diners Club, American Express and all other international cards are NOT
accepted payment methods for any class of vehicle on the Maputo Corridor. Road users should also note that
although TRAC’s two Mozambican plazas also accept automated, electronic tag payments, the Mozambican and
South African systems are NOT linked, and neither countryâs tags will work in the other.
For more information on automated electronic tags, visit www.nra.co.za, contact the Sanral Call Centre on 0800 726
725 or the TRAC 24-hour helpdesk via email at helpdesk@tracn4.co.za or call 0800 87 22 64. You can also visit www.tracn4.co.za.
