Knysna traffic fines – misalignment resulting in municipal failure

Ant Page of Sedgefield writes:

Traffic fines are a compliance and enforcement tool meant to stop motorists speeding. South Africa’s high road death toll has largely been attributed to speeding. One cannot travel on the N2 without noticing the ever present and intimidating number plate recognition equipment designed to alert enforcement officers of your outstanding traffic fines.

Taking a closer look I found Knysna expects about 10% or R105 000 000 of its revenue to come from speeding fines. It also expects this revenue to increase. The fine collection rate has been steadily decreasing from 16% in 2017 to 10% in 2021. This reliance on speeding fines as a major source of revenue tells me that Knysna Municipality has no interest in reducing speeding and thereby making our roads safer.

After all, imagine if everyone stopped speeding. 10% of the revenue would disappear. Installing additional cameras will increase the number of fines issued, increasing the number of fines not paid, increase apathy towards paying fines, and reduce the collection rate. Exactly the opposite outcome to that intended. On one occasion, I spoke to a woman cowering behind her car, crying, in fear of being arrested.

This is bullying and is one of the lowest forms of persuasion leaders can adopt. It creates an “us and them” environment, an environment of conflict, an environment of defiance, a passive aggressive environment where no one complies, no one pays their speeding fines. This is possibly an example of strategic mis-alignment that results in municipal failure.

Knysna Municipality did not provide a reply by the time of going to print.