It was a Tuesday like any other during a school term for Fourways High School Pupil Rowan Springer.
“I left home on my motorcycle and arrived at the corner of Olive and President Fouché Roads,” said Springer. Like most mornings, traffic heading President Fouché Road was bumper to bumper and he waited until a motorist made space for him to enter the traffic stream. “I checked right for approaching traffic, checked left to see if the gap was still open and pulled off.” The next thing he remembers is lying on the road, his motorcycle battered, his uniform torn and being in excruciating pain.
His father Dieter said that when he received the call Rowan had been in an accident his blood ran cold. “You try to give your child some independence and responsibility, and this happens.” It turned out a taxi driver had jumped the painfully long and slow queue and slammed into the young Springer, knocking him off the motorcycle and breaking his leg. According to the father the taxi driver tried to escape the scene but was stopped by a Telkom employee and brought back to the scene.
Impatient taxi drivers driving against the flow of traffic on the wrong side of the road are a common sight on Johannesburg roads.
So what can residents do to help an understaffed Metro police? “Legally, there is nothing motorists can do,” said Metro spokesperson Superintendent Wayne Minnaar. He cautioned against frustrated motorists tackling law breakers, taxi drivers or otherwise, as it could lead to conflict which would escalate the problem.
“People should phone our control room, preferably not from a cellphone while driving. The other option is to contact the Department of Community Safety as taxis also fall under their traffic enforcement department.”
Details: Department of Community Safety 011-242-3000, www.gautsafety.gpg.gov.za or Metro Police emergency 011-375-9511.
