Plan the route to your holiday destination with a little help from Sanral and TRAC
With Christmas just over a month away, residents of Nkomazi should start preparing themselves for the heavy traffic volumes that come with the season.
MALALANE – According to Sanral, traffic volumes may peak earlier than normal due to the days on which this year’s December and January public holidays fall.
All public schools close on December 12 and traffic is expected to pick up during that week, peaking on the Friday.
Due to the public holiday on Monday December 17, this will be a long weekend for many people. Around this time, many companies will also close for the year, which means many people will set off to their holiday destinations in the hopes of avoiding the huge rush of Christmas traffic.
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Christmas falls on a Tuesday this year and traffic is expected to peak on the previous Friday, December 21.
New Year’s is also on a Tuesday and schools reopen the following week on January 8, with peak traffic expected on the Mondays preceding these dates.
TRAC stated that road construction has been suspended on the N4 from Pretoria to Mozambique to lessen any possible delays. According to it, the road is in good condition, but that motorists should take care in severe weather.
Motorists were urged to refrain from speeding and driving under the influence of alcohol, as this, along with texting while driving, are the main contributors to accidents.
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In order to help motorists plan their travel better, Sanral has published a series of videos on www.nra.co.za to show motorists which route to use, what to expect on the road, the expected amount of tolls and rest stops available on the route.
As an example, Sanral noted that a trip between Joburg and Komatipoort will take about seven hours. Over the 445 kilometres, motorists will pass through four tollgates, totalling R250.
Motorists can download the Sanral app for free from their chosen app store. It offers them the opportunity to top up their e-tag accounts, get info on road conditions and incidents on the road.
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To report incidents, contact SAPS on 10111, the National Traffic Call Centre on 012-665-6075 or the TRAC Rescue team on 0800-8722-64.
