Road fatalities: Residents plea for alternative transport options

Over 200 people were killed on Limpopo's roads over the festive season.

POLOKWANE – Over 200 people were killed on provincial roads over the festive season, which made Limpopo the second most dangerous province in the country to have travelled to in December.

Limpopo recorded a 16.5% increase, from 194 to 226 fatalities for the same period last year. According to Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula, human factors contributed as much as 79% to the occurrence of fatal crashes while road factors contributed 11% and vehicle factors 10%. Mbalula spoke during the release of the festive season road statistics on Tuesday morning.

Read more: Minister blames ‘incompetent drivers’ for increased road fatalities

Departmental spokesperson Mike Maringa earlier confirmed that most accidents in the province could be attributed to speeding, reckless and negligent driving, pedestrians in the road and unroadworthy vehicles.

Although Limpopo residents are pleased at the resumption of operations at the Polokwane International Airport, some have raised concerns over the high road accident rate over the festive season, saying if there were affordable means of alternative transport into the province, these accidents could have been avoided.

Maringa said the only other alternative for Limpopo is air-transport through scheduled flights between OR Tambo and Polokwane Gateway International Airport. Maringa says the expansion of the airport to include cheaper flights will be determined by the demand and bookings that the airline receive on a daily basis but it is the wish of the department that people can utilise this mode of transportation.

On the website of the Shosholoza Meyl, which is the passenger rail division of the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa), one route to Musina via Polokwane operates a few times a week. According to the website, train routes were re-launched on December 15 after more than a year of disruptions due to Covid-19 and the first trip to Musina departed on December 17. The fare for a single trip is R100.

Polokwane Observer asked residents what alternative means of transport they think the department should introduce and if they would use it as opposed to driving.

Jacques Swanepoel: They should install concrete barriers in the middle of all highways. It works excellent in Europe.
Jacques Joubert: A proper working railway system that attracts commuters for safety, affordability and convenience would definitely assist, but just look at what government has done, or not done, to maintain the national railway infrastructure. Then you will have your answer. Maintenance and proper accountability needed.
Jackie Rademeyer: I believe buses are far safer than taxis but we don’t want to put taxis out of business. That being said, I do believe the department is on the right track if they impose the new point system to all who do not obey the rules of the road. The transport used isn’t the problem. It’s the person behind the wheel that is the problem. Drunk driving, falling asleep behind the wheel, not adhering to road signs, not switching on head lights in fog or heavy rain conditions and unroadworthy vehicles are the problem. If people obey the rules then fewer accidents will occur. Why are there road rules if people don’t obey them?
Fazlin Jardin: The train network would be first choice but instead of the old school trains, we should have had a bullet train such as the Gautrain on this route by now. The other option is the airlines having ‘Welcome Home’ specials on weekends – that way they could increase the number of people flying. This will also increase passengers in numbers which equals an increase in revenue. Surely the tourism board could step in and get the costs down for the Polokwane route.
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