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New road studs save lives, money and create jobsThe Department has been known to be a facilitation ground when it comes to new road inventions - be it in road safety or road construction. It is not surprising that KwaZulu Natal MEC for Transport, Mr Sbu Ndebele, accompanied by Transport CEO, Dr Kwazi Mbanjwa, have launched new road studs that are designed to save lives.
"The place we have identified is the one between Babanango and Ulundi – it’s bad in terms of fog. Already, thirty-six kilometres of the new road studs have been installed in Melmoth at the tune of R5 million. Again there are red spots in areas like Harding. It’s places like these where we are focussing on. After targeting dangerous spots, we will then roll it out everywhere," Mr Ndebele added. Minister Ndebele rang a serious warning for people who steal IRS. He said that the long arm of the law would follow those who commit such criminal acts. Welcoming the new road studs, Dr Mbanjwa noted that the new road studs had a longer life span of twenty-seven years, and a battery life that lasted for eight years. The old ones lasted for only three years, he added. "These devices are new technology ‘Cat Eyes’ that go beyond just reflecting a vehicle’s headlights but increase visibility by up to ten times further than its predecessors thus delineating the roadway for up to a kilometre ahead," Dr Mbanjwa explained. Minister Ndebele stated that it was the mandated goal of the department to create a safe road environment and to annually reduce the number of crashes on provincial roads. "We will do this through a holistic programme that addresses all the known causes of road crashes including...the re-engineering of hazardous locations," said Ndebele adding that Melmoth was chosen as the location to launch the new Intelligent Road Studs (IRS) because of the recent road tragedy that saw 13 people die there. He said studies show that the Ulundi/Melmoth Road has several high danger spots and that the IRS will assist in addressing some of the issues. Intelligent Road Studs also address older driver vision needs because driver's visual capabilities decline with age. The Intelligent Road Studs (IRS) can be used in the following places:
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The
product will not only save money, but will also provide job opportunities for
local people who are sub-contracted to install them. Mr Ndebele said: "We
hope to be able to manufacture it like Malaysia is doing already. Malaysia is
the only country that is manufacturing it other than Britain. The demand for the
product from local, provincial and national government structures and agencies
will justify the decision to set up a manufacturing company locally in
partnership with Britain.
