CHANGES to road traffic legislation requires public transport and goods vehicles, which are registered from 1 December 2016, to be fitted with speed governers. In a media release this week, the Automobile Association of South Africa (AA), said the amendments which were first gazetted in October 2014, will be implemented from 1 December and require public transport vehicles like minibuses, midibuses and buses with a mass of more than 3500kg but less than 9000kg, to adhere to a governed speed of 100km/h.
Such vehicles were previously permitted to travel at up to the maximum general speed limit of 120km/h.
Vehicles carrying a mass of more than 9000kg will have to adhere to a maximum speed of 80km/h.
The AA said it welcomed the changes to the law for these categories of vehicles. “Buses and minibus taxis are frequently observed driving well in excess of posted legal limits, often in situations where their speed considerably exceeds that of the general traffic speed,” the AA said.
“The risk of such large speed differentials is well documented, and the introduction of governers will combat this problem over the next several years as end-of-life buses and minibus taxis are phased out and replaced with newer, governed models. The AA had similar comments regarding vehicles over 9000kg, which often exceed their maximum allowable speed.
“Apart from giving rise to safety and longevity issues in heavy vehicles, excessive speed creates additional noise which affects communities living nearby busy roads. It needlessly increases fuel consumption and pollution. These vehicles are not designed to be operated at the general speed limit of 120km/h which is applicable to light motor vehicles, which is why they were restricted to 80km/h more than two decades ago,” the AA added.
The AA noted that the inclusion of governers on heavy vehicles will free traffic authorities from having to police speed transgressions by goods and public transport vehicles so that they can direct their enforcement resources towards moving violations, licensing infringements, and driver impairment.
Other draft road and traffic regulations in the pipeline include:
– Drivers to be re-evaluated when renewing a licence
– No more than five people to be carried in a bakkie load bed
– Children not to be transported in a bakkie load bed
– Speed limits to be reduced from 60km/h to 40km/h in urban areas, from 100 to 80km/h in rural areas and from 120 to 100km/h on freeways running through a residential area
– Goods vehicles above 9 000kg GVM to be banned from public roads during peak travelling times.
