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Deputy Transport Minister Jeremy Cronin. Photo: Bongiwe Mchunu
Cape Town - Heavy duty trucks are causing many of the road safety and infrastructure problems in Mpumalanga and the North West, Deputy Transport Minister Jeremy Cronin said on Tuesday.
The Presidential Infrastructure Co-ordinating Commission had identified the two provinces as having “serious challenges” around road safety and infrastructure, he told the Parliamentary Committee on Transport.
“Much of it has to do with the movement of heavy trucks,” he said during a briefing by the Road Traffic Management Corporation
“Both are mining provinces through which heavy duty vehicles are moving, causing huge damage to road infrastructure.”
He said much of the freight transport should be on railways and not on roads.
The department was working with Public Enterprises officials and Transnet in looking at branch railway lines.
However, there had not been a great appetite from the private sector to operate from these lines.
In general, road freight was not as effectively regulated as it should be and was an area government had to “push into”.
The department had to move towards periodic vehicle testing and checks for roadworthiness.
“Stopping a vehicle on the road creates a visible presence which is part of getting a different mindset of road users,” said Cronin.
The department was considering “periodic vehicle testing” as was applied to public transport vehicles, which were tested every six months.
“We have to start to make sure that apart from stopping vehicles on the road, there is a proper testing of vehicles,” he said.
“And the priority should be given to heavy vehicles - the freight vehicles.”
Many freight hauliers were responsible but there were a lot of “fly by night operators”.
Cronin said the government was trying to expand the mandate of the South African National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral).
The department was looking at increasing co-operation between provinces and Sanral.
“We want to assist provinces in project management, tendering, and proper prioritisation,” he said.
“It is something we want to roll out generally.” - Sapa
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Mr Rail Economics, wrote
I fully agree with Mr Cronin. this is also very very evident in KZN province. Please re-route freight via rail,it will ease the road congestion and lower the burden of government expenditure on road maintenance.
VTM and Anon@09.22, wrote
Often rail appears to be more expensive because the full cost of road is not borne by the usercustomer - road repairs, economic cost of accidents and congestion are carried by the taxpayer and general population. So road transport tends to grow at the expense of rail, until we find out too late what it really costs. This creates some merit for state intervention. On the issue of time, rail is a problem - no efficient freight rail is likely to do a 24 hour turnaround...but how often can the need for 24 hour transport be avoided with better planning? Fully agree that where time is truly critical, road will always win. But for rail to stand any chance, the state has to put its money where its mouth is and upgrade infrastructure ahead of demand....its big money that will take many years to recover..so don't expect the private sector to invest in a hurry in anything other than the bulk export corridors.
anonymous, wrote
Why did we take away the railway lines, now we sitting with this problem of trucks. Bring back the railway lines, to transport all the goods then we will have less trucks on the roads.
Anon, wrote
You are correct tsediso. Problem therein lies that the rail infrastructure currently is even worse than the road infrastructure. Where currently we can get automotive parts anywhere in the country within 24 hours, supplying it by rail will take 3 days. This leaves 2 alternatives, buying permits pushing up the per unit cost and fuelling inflation, or alternatively decentralizing the automotive industry to decrease transport cost but increase rent, increasing the unit cost and fuelling inflation
bird watcher, wrote
prior to 1994 85% plus of goods were moved by rail.since then the hierachy @ transnet has proved to be incompetent and unwilling to service clients and prosecute transnet employees who blatantly plunder the merchandise they are moving.this govt.are vultures picking off the bones of a once functioning entity. VTM get something through that tiney brain of yours ,critics of present maladministration are PATRIOTS and are here to stay.
Anonymous, wrote
Rail is definitely the way to go. Some peope will deny this, but then they are the people who do not have a clue.
tsediso, wrote
@VTM, I think you areb the stupid one! It has been proven worldwide that rail transport is cheaper than road freight. Why would China and India invest millions in upgrading their rail infrastructure if it's more costly than road transport? What the government needs to do, is revive the permit system, where a road transport operator has to apply for a permit and only if Transnet can not supply the service should the permit be granted. And the Dept of Transport must appoint their own inspectors again to enforce permit regulations and also see to heavy vehicle testing - that they are roadworthy and not overloaded!
VTM, wrote
@Democrat your stupid.If its our goverment only then get the hell out of this country.Rail is not a better solution,its more costly...Trucking is still better we just need proper road construction and maintanance.
WiseDarkie, wrote
We have to ensure "there is a proper testing of vehicles”... I guess this implies that properly tested vehicles cause less damage to the road infrastructure? Does Mr Civil Servant, even apply hismind before he speaks to anyone, beyond his ANC comrades? Pathetic logic!
Deebee, wrote
@DB - the provinces cannot afford to maintain the roads, so more and more are being given to Sanral to upgrade and maintain. It only has certain capacity itself, unless you envisage more toll roads?
Deebee, wrote
Rail is by the better solution for the movement of bulk minerals and other bulk commodities - if you have efficient rail links. Part of the problem is that the government encouraged trucking of coal to power stations as part of a BEE initiative to grow jobs in the mining and power services industry. It was a noble idea, absolutely no doubt about that - but it was short sighted too.
DB, wrote
And by doing that, instead of regular improvement of the road infrastructure, how many jobs in the transport sector are going to be shed Mr Deputy Minister?
WhoisJohanGalt?, wrote
Rail for heavy freight - now there's a good idea... it's 2012 we had rail for a few years now...
democrat, wrote
Cronin, this has been raised years ago. And the solution was removed by your government years ago, too - the downgrading, the stripping, the reduction of railway freight. It's going to cost you tens of times more now, to reverse the trend, than if you had actually taken heed back then and also kept up rail maintenance and improvement. And what's more you're now going to get thick stick from the huge road freight industry which your government's blind policies allowed to burgeon at the expense of rail. They're going to challenge you from all angles if you try to turn the trend back to rail. Good luck.
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