It’s all systems go for the easter weekend

According to the spokesperson for the Department of Transport and Community Safety, Joshua Kwapa, the department is ready to welcome high traffic volumes on its major routes and ports of entry.

Throngs of people are expected to hit the shores of Limpopo with many going to various church denominations for annual Easter pilgrimages with the majority going to Moria outside Polokwane.

The department of Transport has put a target of 50 percent in the reduction of fatalities this Easter weekend. During last year’s Easter weekend the department recorded a fatality reduction of 20 percent from the year 2015.

The department through its law enforcement operations will apply a no mercy approach to traffic law violators. During the release of December traffic statistics it became clear that the majority of contributing factors were human behaviour and attitude. These contributing factors shall be tightly policed and Traffic officers shall apply a no mercy approach to those found to be contravening the traffic laws and regulations.

The department shall avail its resources both human and capital to ensure safety on our roads. On the N1 from Maubane to Beitbridge a traffic Police vehicle will be visible at least every 40 kilometres while on the R71 from Polokwane to Moria traffic control vehicles will be visible at every 10 kilometres. Traffic officers will be deployed on the N1 at Matoks road works during heavy traffic to conduct point duty. We shall conduct driver fitness checks at our traffic control centres.

The department’s traffic Police will deploy at all districts ten high speed vehicles fitted with moving violation recorders. Moving violations such as unsafe overtaking, excessive speed, reckless and negligent driving and moving over the red traffic light amongst others shall be identified by these vehicles and transgressors shall be prosecuted. The recording taken by these vehicles shall be used as evidence against identified traffic law violators.

The Department has engaged bus companies which shall be transporting people to Moria and issued instructions which are aimed at making traffic flow easier. Amongst those instructions include, no bus shall be allowed to travel through the Polokwane city centre, All busses must travel with their headlights on, drivers are reminded to adhere to the maximum speed limit of 80 kilometres an hour and busses are not allowed to operate via Mookgophong and Mokopane on the R101.

The Department has forged a partnership with the interfaith organization representing churches in the province. Through this organization the Department hopes that as men and women of the cloth shall be conducting sermons they will at the same time deliver messages of road safety to their congregants.

During the provincial launch of Easter Road safety campaign the Deputy Minister of Transport, Sindisiwe Chikunga said: “Road safety is every citizen’s responsibility and given that safety starts with an individual road user itself, whether motorist, passenger or pedestrian, the involvement of the entire civil society on an ongoing basis can never be overstated.

The fight against road crashes is yet to be won, and we envision a future where our people feel safe and secure on our roads.”

The MEC responsible for Transport and Community Safety in Limpopo, Nandi Ndalane has warned traffic law violators that no mercy shall be applied during the Easter weekend.

Ndalane indicated that all traffic officers have been urged to take the harshest possible measures against those who break the law.

“Our traffic officers have been urged to take no nonsense from those who break the law. We shall take punitive action against such people.We have the responsibility to enforce the law and we therefore shall do so without any hindrance.” Ndalane wished the people of Limpopo a blessed and safe Easter weekend. This year’s Easter weekend shall be celebrated under the theme: “together with our communities we should do more to stop these senseless deaths on our roads”.

Also read:  Do’s and don’ts when you’re stuck in traffic this Easter

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