THE Florida Road Service Kiosk is making a difference in day-time policing on the road, says Florida Road UIP precinct manager, Jarrod Evans.
Jarrod said the kiosk has been up and running since the first week of November, and he has noticed how well it is working.
“With the implementation of the car monitors in October, we met with the City who were supportive in securing the presence of Metro officers in the road, and we had a dedicated Metro presence from the start of that month. We got in touch with Parks and Metro Police and Parks agreed to open the facility for the police. It has been a great help and it has been very well received by the community,” he said.
The officers are now a day complement, and eight members work a 6am to 6pm shift, four days on and four days off.
“We do have more problems at night with parking and noisy restaurants, which we are in the process of resolving with the support of the City, and we are hoping to extend the shifts,” he said.
Jarrod said his vision would be for the kiosk to be multi-use as an information point for the road, and would be approaching Durban Tourism to have a representative in the kiosk to promote tourism in the road.
“Who knows where is will go from here. The key was to open up a shop and build from that. We have also received approval from Parks for a mural to be painted on the back and sides of the kiosk and a requisition has been sent off to prospective artists. Once their drafts have gone through and the Parks and City have approved it, we will go ahead. The idea is to paint something that encompasses what Florida Road and the City is all about. It will also go a long way to brighten up the place,” he said.
The official signage went up recently, which has made it more official and highlights the joint venture between the Florida Road UIP, Parks, SAPS and the City.
“This shows the City’s commitment in the road. So much has happened since October due to the involvement of the City and this partnership,” he said.
