The SA National Roads Agency (Sanral) did not take into consideration that its decisions would unfairly discriminate against poor people, according to the City of Cape Town.

“It’s poor people that live alongside the N1 and N2. The wealthy live in the suburbs and the Atlantic Seaboard,” senior counsel for the City Geoff Budlender told the Western Cape High Court on Wednesday.

The court was hearing the City’s application to have Sanral’s decision to toll sections of the highway into Cape Town reviewed and set aside.

According to Budlender, Sanral unfairly discriminated against the poor, and “hence logically black people”.

Budlender presented 12 points which had not been considered by the minister of transport and Sanral.

“When Sanral made its decisions in 2008, it should have had some sense of what its contract would look like,” said Budlender.

The financial viability of the contract, the affordability of toll tariffs and the impact of traffic diversions and attractions were not considered, he said.

According to Budlender, the issues “were left floating”.

About 180km of highway will be tolled, should the Winelands Toll Highway project go ahead. News24