JMPD officials to remove unathorised traffic officers
"We urge motorists to adhere to and obey the rules of the road at all times, and where there are no points people, please treat those intersections as compulsory stops," said Fihla.
The JMPD has issued a warning to the public not to direct traffic during blackouts, noting that officers have been sent to remove unauthorised ‘traffic officers’ from several intersections.
The City of Johannesburg is experiencing a high number of vandalism of traffic lights and cable theft. The majority of traffic lights are either not functioning or malfunctioning.
Load-shedding and rotational blackouts also contribute to traffic lights not working, and this has led to heavy traffic congestion during peak hour periods in the morning and afternoon.
Taking a step forward in alleviating traffic congestion during peak hours, a directive was issued that all JMPD officers must take up point duty during these periods between 06:00 to 09:00 in the morning and 15:00 to 18:00 in the afternoon.
According to JMPD spokesperson Xolani Fihla, JMPD officers have various responsibilities ranging from crime prevention, by-laws enforcement, attending to protests, and life-threatening and non-life-threatening emergencies within the city.
“Officers cannot be at every corner and every intersection, so with the assistance of Traffic Free Flow sponsored by Outsurance main arterials, heavily congested and major routes are prioritised. Officers have also been tasked to monitor areas and intersections outside the peak hours, as they have received numerous complaints regarding unauthorised people controlling traffic.
“The challenge with unauthorised people controlling traffic is that if an accident happens, the city will not be liable for any damages incurred. The city can only be liable if traffic is controlled by JMPD officers,” said Fihla.
Fihla went on to say that they discourage motorists from giving unauthorised people money as an incentive to control traffic.
“This encourages them to continue, and even go to the extent of tampering with traffic lights and traffic light controller boxes to make money. It further endangers the lives of these individuals as they may be run over by vehicles. We urge motorists to adhere to and obey the rules of the road at all times, and where there are no points people, please treat those intersections as compulsory stops,” said Fihla.
Fihla said they also encourage members of the public to report any issues about traffic lights‚ cable theft‚ flooding‚ vandalism‚ accidents‚ broken-down vehicles, traffic violations, areas where traffic is gridlocked, and where unauthorised people are controlling traffic.
“To report, call the emergency number on 011 375 5911 or the JMPD emergency number on 011 758 9624,” said Fihla.
