W Cape prepares for influx of travellers
WITH the festive season holidays just around the corner and families beginning to prepare for their long road trips, the transport and public works department is gearing up for an influx of travellers to the province.
In preparation, the Western Cape officially launched the 2019/20 festive season safety plan at the Huguenot Tunnel on the N1, and revealed some of the provincial Tactical and Operational Focal Areas.
Transport and Public Works MEC Bonginkosi Madikizela said there was a decrease of 500000 motor vehicles in last year’s festive season into Cape Town compared to the previous year.
Madikizela said the decrease could have been due to the water restrictions the Western Cape was undergoing and the increase in fuel price at the time.
He said this year, “we’re to see a significant influx of motor vehicles into Cape Town as a result of water shortages that the rest of our country is facing”. “The start of the school holidays, industry closure, as well as the increase in the number of international and local events hosted in the province will contribute to this influx.”
Madikizela said this year’s festive season plan included national interventions such as chain speed enforcement on all major routes and overload weighbridge activities.
He announced that the Provincial Traffic Services had 167 patrol vehicles fitted with in-vehicle technology which has the capability of Automatic
Number Plate Recognition, which enables officers to determine vehicle road-worthiness, and the validity of operating licences and clearance certificates. During the launch Premier Alan Winde urged motorists to not be a statistic, “but to rather be an agent of change for safety”.