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SPEECH BY KWAZULU-NATAL MINISTER OF TRANSPORT MR S'BU NDEBELE DURING THE KWANATACO ROAD SAFETY LAUNCH20 December 2001
Master of Ceremonies Ladies and Gentlemen, it is a great honour for me to be present here today during the Road Safety Launch of the KwaZulu-Natal Taxi Council (KWANATACO). This alone is an indication of the quality of leadership we find in the taxi industry. There are many positive things in the taxi industry that are not communicated to the public with the effect that it is only rogue elements who steal the thunder as if they are the embodiment of this very important industry. We have always emphasised the fact that we have a partnership with the taxi industry and it is a sign of great maturity that this partnership today has brought these important results. Our focus area as the KwaZulu-Natal department of Transport is that of saving lives and as such we have devised some mechanisms aimed at reducing road crashes during this festive season. These include: REST STOPS These have been established at various places throughout the Province to assist motorists with Information, to act as safe rest stops for tired motorists and to report reckless and bad driving. These rest stop operate on a 24-hour basis during peak periods. Their purpose is to provide all motorists with resting place especially on alternate routes to stop and relax for at least ten minutes. The Department of Transport urges all Long Distance Taxi drivers to take a break at least every two hours or 200 kilometres. Rest stops along the N3 corridor will include, Van Reenen's Pass, Estcourt Ultra City / Loskop Interchange, Pietermaritzburg, New England Off Ramp and Pinetown. The N2 North has the following rest places:
The N2 South will have the following rest places:
Rest stops are also to be found at strategic points on the alternate routes. LONG DISTANCE TAXI DRIVER AWARENESS PROGRAMME Together with the provincial taxi task team, the KZN Department of Transport has been rendering free vehicle checks to public transport vehicles as from 19 December 2001. TOUR BUS OPERATORS The owners/operators of tour bus companies have also been made award of vehicle fitness, driving hours and overloading. FORECOURT TV The KZN Transport Department is looking towards reaching an audience of more than two million motorists and holidaymakers from Gauteng prior to their embarking on holiday journeys to KwaZulu-Natal. ROAD BLOCKS The Department's Road Traffic Inspectorate, together with the SAPS, Durban Metro Police, the SANDF and the various municipalities have joined hands in staging a well co-ordinated, planned, as well as random road blocks and enforcement exercises throughout the province. Our campaign will focus on speeding motorists, drunken driving, non-wearing of seat-belts and careless pedestrians. Multi-discliplinary road-blocks will which have already started will go on until 18 January 2002 with a specific focus on the following:
In all these roadblocks drivers who are stopped for speeding are automatically checked for alcohol, drivers licence and usage of safety belts, as well as for illegal cell-phone usage. Roadside courts are already operational at strategic points. The whole Arrive Alive Festive Season Campaign has been going on from 29 November 2001 and will continue right until 12 January 2002. All these activities indicate that we have planned and are on a very comprehensive schedule of events for this holiday period, and when we talk about Zero Tolerance in KwaZulu-Natal we mean just that. We aim to continue to reduce fatalities and serious as well as disabling injuries still further, upholding our "best practice in Road safety" reputation and maintaining our position as road safety leaders in the country, and indeed within most of the developing world. In the final analysis, I want to thank the KWANATACO for their concern about the safety of their passengers and the public in general. I want to further encourage this spirit of partnership to go on between us. To all road users I will repeat what I said three weeks ago when I launched the Road Safety Plan for these holidays: the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport is fully equipped and ready to deal with any form of misbehaviour. If you think of breaking traffic laws this festive season, please bid your family farewell and start preparing for your long prison sentence. You may run but you may not hide. I thank you.
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