Early-morning trap nails speedsters

New laser speed trap.

New laser speed trap.

Published Jul 7, 2014

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Johannesburg - A speed freak caught cruising at more than 200km/h in Benoni on Sunday told officers he was in a rush because his passenger had places to be.

This was the excuse of just one of nine people caught in an hour-and-a-half traffic enforcement blitz in Ekurhuleni on Sunday.

Between 6.30am and 8am, the nine drivers were caught breaking the 120km/h speed limit on the two-lane N12 freeway underneath the R51 bridge near Daveyton, travelling towards Benoni.

Metro police spokesman Chief Superintendent Wilfred Kgasago said eight of the cars were clocked at speeds from 161km/h to 184km/h.

One man in a VW Polo GTI was caught going at a “breakneck speed” of 202km/h.

Kgasago said: “His friend was in the car. The driver said he was rushing to drop him off somewhere.”

The 33-year-old man did not say where his friend’s important meeting was, said Kgasago.

The drivers were all clocked by a camera, then stopped by another team of officers waiting further up the road, which meant no police chase was required.

“All nine drivers were charged at Benoni police station with reckless and negligent driving.”

Kgasago said they were released on bail of between R500 and R1 000 and would appear in the Benoni Magistrate’s Court soon.

Meanwhile, Johannesburg metro police spokesman Chief Superintendent Wayne Minnaar said the JMPD was giving a stern warning to pedestrians who walked on Johannesburg freeways.

“So far, 30 male pedestrians have been fined R200 each for walking on the M1 freeway, because it is a transgression and also dangerous,” he said.

Minnaar said officers had noticed an increase in the number of people walking to work on the M1 between Crown Mines and the Booysens off-ramp.

He said commuters must take appropriate transport to their destinations.

“In the past year, dozens of people have died on Gauteng’s highways. On the freeway, it is even more dangerous.”

The Star

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