Moloto Road, known as Tshwane’s “killer road”, will be under the microscope this festive season.
Metro police announced that there would be speed cameras, constant monitoring and an increased number of traffic officials on the road.
At least 80 people have been killed on the road this year.
The most recent accident was on Sunday when six people were killed in a head-on collision.
Moloto is listed among the busiest and most accident-ridden roads in South Africa.
It is used by about 50 000 people travelling to work in Pretoria daily. More than 600 buses – mostly owned by Putco – use it.
In November last year, 30 people were killed in an accident between a bus and a truck near Kwaggafontein.
Two more people died a month later when a heavy-goods truck collided with a delivery van.
In October this year, yet another person died in a bus accident that left 42 injured, eight seriously.
“Among other roads that have been identified as hot spots during the festive season are the N1 South and North, the N14, R21, and R101,” said Tshwane metro police chief Steven Ngobeni.
“We will isolate those roads and offer solutions and accident-prevention methods that will be specific to each road.”
He was speaking at the Carousel Toll Plaza, where the City of Tshwane yesterday launched its festive season road-safety operations, with new traffic equipment to assist the city in enforcing the rules of the road.
THE DAYS BEFORE HOLIDAY
Ngobeni said the city’s focus would be on the days before big holidays as these had proven to be problematic in the past.
“December 24 and 31 are the nights that we experience a lot of accidents and fatalities,” Ngobeni said.
“We just want people to be safe and co-operate with us in order to make our roads safe during this festive season.”
Ngobeni, city mayor Kgosientso Ramokgopa and the member of the mayoral committee of safety and security, Terrence Mashego, also attended the launch.
The trio took part in an exhibition roadblock, inspecting vehicles and giving road-safety tips.
Ramokgopa said key issues the city would be emphasising included the use of safety belts, drinking and driving and taking rest stops to eliminate fatigue when driving.
He said the aim of the launch was to decrease the number of fatalities and accidents on the roads.
Ramokgopa reiterated that the N1 North and South was a major concern because it was one of the biggest gateways for people living in Tshwane who would be travelling to neighbouring provinces.
“Speeding is a big concern to us, you find people driving at 140km/h without even keeping a safe following distance,” he said.
“We advise motorists to be patient on the roads, the intention is for them to be safe. They must make sure that they take breaks when tired.
“But those who do not abide by the rules will experience ruthlessness and be brought to book because we have intensified operational strength with over 1000 officers who will be on the roads.”
Pretoria News