5.5 million fines in a year in speedster city

THE number of speeding fines issued in Joburg in 2013/14 was dramatically higher than in the year before.

The Road Traffic Infringement Agency has warned that the more serious infringements could contribute to crashes and have not been receiving enough attention.

The Joburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) issued more than 6 million traf fic fines between April 1 last year and March 31, but only 4 percent were for serious traffic violations.

More than 5.5 million of the fines issued were camera infringements, most of them speeding violations, according to the agency’s chief operating officer, Thabo Tsholetsane.

More than R2 billion in fines was issued by the JMPD.

From the 200 000 fines that were paid within 32 days and therefore discounted, Joburg raked in almost R40 million.

These traf fic fines have caused tension between the JMPD and the agency – because of administrative issues and revenue management.

Tsholetsane said the agency believed that the JMPD and other traffic authorities should be involved in more interactive enforcement with infringers – implying that the metro cops were not participating in law enforcement as actively as they could be.

“The functions and roles of (the agency) and JMPD have been clarified and addressed as result of a service level agreement finalised between the two parties on all issues, including revenue management,” he said.

Tsholetsane said that in terms of the law, if a motorist paid the penalty within 32 days of the date of the infringement being committed, a discount of 50 percent applied. All penalty amounts went to the JMPD.

But if the fine was paid after that, the full amount had to be paid, of which 50 percent was due to the metro police who issued it and the other half to the agency.

According to the agency, of the 6 million fines issued by the JMPD, more than 151 000 were cancelled because, contrary to the law, they were sent by ordinary mail instead of by registered post.

JMPD spokeswoman Edna Mamonyane said a large number of fines arose from speed trapping by camera because Joburgers regularly exceeded the speed limit.

“People in Joburg have got fast cars and smart cars. The City of Joburg is not some small town where people drive slowly,” she said.

“People are chasing business, closing deals and rushing to airports.”

Mamonyane said officers set up speed traps in high accident zones.

Some officers also issued handwritten notices for offences.

Howard Dembovsky, chairman of the Justice Project South Africa, said while one should be alarmed by the high number of speeding fines, the figure could be related to the JMPD beginning to record fines through eNaTIS in December 2012.

“It’s only in the next financial year that I think we will get a better view of whether they are increasing dramatically,” he said.