Load-shedding breeds informal pointsmen
Load shedding traffic has created new avenues for informal pointsman.
The consistency of rolling blackouts during peak hours, as well as traffic lights not working in general, has created a new breed of pointsmen in the Fourways area.
During peak hours when traffic lights are out, street vendors and the homeless resort to controlling the flow of traffic in the absence of official pointsmen. This phenomenon is very prominent in Fourways with just about every main intersection now manned by untrained, informal pointsmen.
According to a street vendor, Moses Maake, directing traffic is one of the ways he gives back to the road users that always tip him for keeping the area clean and crimefree. “Seeing chaotic scenes of frustrated road users stuck in traffic is something we can’t have on our watch, so we do what we can to help.”
Maake and his friends usually control traffic during peak hours and according to the Automobile Association (AA), this should raise concerns.
The AA believes that informal pointsmen should be discouraged as they have not received any training and can’t be held liable if something bad was to happen. “While the
intention is noble and in many cases traffic does flow, it only takes one serious crash to realise the folly of this endeavour. The pointsmen are not legally authorised to perform this duty, and there is no legal recourse should something go wrong,” notes the AA.
“It is impossible for one motorist to ignore an informal pointsman’s instructions as this would cause chaos when other drivers are complying. This situation requires urgent intervention by traffic authorities who, in many cases, are simply nowhere to be seen when traffic lights go down,” said the AA.
JMPD spokesperson Xolani Fihla believes some of the intersections are being targeted for the benefit of he informal pointsmen. “We believe some traffic lights are being vandalised to keep them offline for informal pointsmen to have a reason to be at the intersection more often,” said Fihla.
“If a collision should occur, the city will not be liable for any damages unless traffic is controlled by JMPD officers or authorised officials.”
Maake and his friends do understand the risk they face every time they take responsibility for easing the traffic flow. “We know something bad can happen, hence we are always careful when communicating with motorists before giving instructions because the people who are supposed to be doing this are just not doing it.
“Pointing fingers won’t help our road users get to work or home on time. What motorist need is a proper flow of traffic and that is what we help with. If they don’t want us to do it then they must come to help our people.”
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