Traffic authorities issues stern warning to motorists travelling this Easter weekend

The roads in the Western Cape are experiencing high traffic volumes this Easter weekend. Traffic authorities have issued a stern warning to motorists travelling to and from the province to adhere to the rules of the road or risk being arrested.

Western Cape provincial traffic services spokesperson, Jandre Bekker, says they have also noticed an increase in cases of vehicles stopping in the emergency or yellow lane putting them at risk of having them being crashed into.

“The roads in the Western Cape, we are experiencing high traffic volumes since 5am this (Friday) morning. It is especially the main routes on the province’s roads that carry the most traffic. These are the N7 and R27 on the West Coast. The N1 is the main route for especially public transport to the Eastern Cape, Free State and Gauteng. And also the N2 which is also a main route to the Eastern Cape, but is also the route with many beautiful coastal holiday destinations. Traffic volumes were already high early yesterday (Thursday). And in places on the N2 between Somerset West and Mossel Bay, there was virtually stationary traffic here and there.”

In Limpopo, the Transport Department says 1500 vehicles passed through the Kranskop Toll Gate at midday on Thursday. Authorities are concerned about long-distance taxis that are carrying passengers at full capacity.

Some motorists travelling along the N1 towards Polokwane in Limpopo say road conditions are safer this year compared to previous years.

“The road is good, we are travelling safely, no problem, the problem is the car, everything is going well now, there is no problem on the road,  everything is fine, our problem is our vehicle, they have a problem with a fan so now from twelve ‘o clock we are stuck waiting for fan. We are waiting for the mechanic to go and locate some part of our vehicle, that is the problem because we sleeping on the road from yesterday. On the road I did not see anything, no problem, no accident,” says a motorist

Meanwhile, Eastern Cape traffic law enforcement agencies have also sent out a stern warning to motorists to comply with road regulations, especially regarding drunk driving.

The provincial Roads and Transport Department has launched its Easter Road Traffic Safety Campaign with an emphasis on combating driving under the influence of alcohol.

Department spokesperson, Unathi Binqose, says law enforcement agencies are out in full force throughout the province.

“We have noticed that a lot of our accidents in the province are caused by drunk driving and we believe that if we can eliminate that we would’ve saved a lot of lives. We want to urge and warn motorists that those who are driving drunk,  they will be caught in these roadblocks and those that evade us might be the ones who unfortunately get into an accident and lose their lives.”

These motorists have welcomed the provincial government’s road safety campaign.

“We are very happy with what they are doing and they should do it more and be visible and it keeps us safe. It’s for the safety of all road users because it’s busy here so we can be safe.”

Eastern Cape’s COVID-19 compliance and road safety campaign: