Editor –

We all appreciate and are fully aware that our municipal traffic officers have the important responsibility of ensuring the safety of our roads within Estcourt and the Inkosi Langalibalele municipal boundaries.

To achieve this objective, traffic officer’s duties, among others, are to enforce road rules for both drivers and pedestrians, to prevent accidents and deaths from occurring, identifies signs of a drunk driver, tests them and determines if an offence has been committed, inspect vehicles for road worthiness, checks vehicles for valid registration, check driver’s driving licences and so on…

ALSO READ: Concerned ratepayer is pleading for Estcourt to be saved

We applaud the road blocks conducted by the local traffic department on December 21, 2019 and again on January 4, 2020 with the aim to achieve the mentioned objectives.
Whilst happy with road blocks, as one of Estcourt’s residents and ratepayers, I have a few concerns and / or questions to raise.

Maybe my concerns are due to lack of knowledge and therefore I would be happy with clarifications. I feel that the area just above Gerry’s Motors Garage is not ideal for a road block. It creates unsafe road conditions caused by most vehicles and taxis speeding through numerous short cuts or bypasses within our residential areas, putting residents especially children during this period of school holidays, at risk.

Why not be based at an area considered the entrance to Estcourt? The current roadblock defeats the whole exercise, as most vehicles take routes bypassing the roadblock. Is the inspection of roads and recommendations for repairs and maintenance, not part of traffic officer responsibilities?

How can we reduce accidents when we have to duck potholes? What is the justification of fines to drivers versus huge repair costs incurred daily due to bad road conditions?

READ THIS: Pothole damage? Here is how to submit a claim to the municipality

Why roadblocks on Saturdays, why not Fridays or alternate Fridays and Saturdays? What is special anyway about Saturdays?

I have personally raised the concern of the lack of signage, and no patrols during peak school hours. What are municipality boundaries, Wembezi, rural areas and Ntabamhlophe? Or are these areas not important or pose no risks? I have never seen a traffic officer in Wembezi, except when some are going home. I also raised the suggestion of focusing on car road-worthiness and neglected road conditions. This was done verbally with an officer in charge and he promised to address this but did not – adding that there is no money. How can there be no money?

Concerned Resident and Ratepayer

These concerns have been forwarded to the municipality for comment.