Traffic in the inner city during load-shedding

The Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) has strengthened its traffic management operations by having more traffic officers and traffic pointsmen in and around the city not only during peak hours but also during the day to ease traffic congestion.

According to a statement released by the City of Johannesburg, the current Stage 4 load-shedding commenced on Saturday 16 March, resulted in many traffic lights not working which caused heavy traffic congestions. To make matter worse, some of the load-shedding times are during peak hours when traffic flow is at its highest.

“Eskom’s load shedding/ rolling blackouts have put unnecessary pressure on our already stretched metro policing capacity. As of the morning of 18 March, we had deployed a total of 153 Metro police officers and traffic pointsmen across the City to direct traffic and this deployment is set to increase as we receive more complaints in the coming days,” said the MMC for Public Safety Michael Sun.

Motorists are urged by the City of Johannesburg to be more vigilant by making sure their bags, cell phones and valuables are kept out of sight. Metro police crime prevention units within each region have increased patrols in order to deter any opportunistic crime such as smash-and-grabs which may occur due to the congested traffic.

The City’s Emergency Management Services (EMS) has also requested residents to be extra cautious when using candles and other flame-lit lighting devices which may cause fires when left unattended said the statement.

“Residents must please ensure that candlesticks and other flame-lit lighting devices are secured properly and not left unattended. Parents are urged to take extra care of their children with open flames as these may cause injuries and serious fire accidents,” Sun stated in the statement.

Residents can report any traffic-related incidences to the Metro police traffic hotline on 080 872 3342 and any other emergencies to 011 375 5911.

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