Traffic crisis on N4 at Komatipoort tackled
"Advise your guests, friends and businesses to use the Tenbosch/Ngwenya road instead of N4 during this holiday season"
KOMATIPOORT – Organised business commended the strong lead of Wynand Labuschagne from the Department of Public Works, Roads and Transport (DPWRT) in finding solutions for the traffic congestion on the N4. The severe traffic jams came unexpectedly and early in November this year.
Businesses, local farmers, guest house and lodge owners as well as government, organised meetings to address the problem.
One of the earliest proposals was that the Dry Port area be considered as a potential bypass. Labuschagne said he enjoyed working with local businesses that are eager to propose and offer practical solutions.
“The existing traffic Act is not the desired mechanism to solve this crisis. This should be dealt with by the border post management, but the solutions tendered eased the way forward. It is important to note that conglomeration is inevitable and the proposals mitigate but do not solve the crisis,” Labuschagne said.
Some solutions proposed that taxis and related vehicles be diverted to the unused airstrip in the Dry Port. Under this proposal, vehicles will leave the N4 before the existing entrance to the Dry Port through an access provisionally created for this purpose.
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The trucks will accordingly be diverted similarly, but not on the N4. This will free the N4 for all other traffic. Synchronising and controlling as far as practically possible the intake, weighing and release of weigh bridge-related traffic may significantly reduce traffic jams beyond the Dry Port.
This, combined with regular traffic escorting and control, might be a solution. The South African National Defence Force has been invited to assist with law enforcement.
More arrangements will follow as soon as all the relevant departments have met and decided the way forward. It is believed that the above arrangements should bring about the best reduction of congestion.
TRAC will again be requested to clearly and promptly inform road users of the newly established four-way stop at the entrance of Komatipoort.
The proposals initiated by the DPWRT and local businesses may not solve the crisis, but promise relief.
