The country's constant load shedding blackouts have seen more and more homeless people donning reflector vests and manning busy intersections, however, the Automobile Association (AA) believes untrained pointsmen could do more harm than good.
"The proliferation of car guards and street vendors directing traffic during rolling blackouts is a serious concern, and traffic authorities must do more to ensure the proper flow of traffic during times when traffic lights are not functioning," the association said.
The AA said motorists have no choice but to comply with the directions as all drivers at the intersection are complying with the "pointsmen".
"It is impossible for one motorist to ignore these instructions; 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," the association added.
Load shedding schedules are available and traffic authorities are called on to do more to deploy personnel to those areas that carry the most traffic, specifically at peak traffic times.
The association said private sector pointsmen are dispatched to certain areas, but some, often busier, intersections are ignored.
"This creates a vacuum for 'good Samaritans' to step in, which can lead to problems, especially if reckless drivers ignore their signals because they believe the unofficial pointsmen have no legal authority to be there.
“In 2019, a government-appointed task team – the Traffic Law Enforcement Review Committee – found that the country requires double the number of traffic officials than what it currently has, and the lack of traffic law enforcers during rolling blackouts emphasises that need," the AA said.
The association noted that traffic officers are prioritising stopping drivers to conduct checks on expired vehicle license discs or driving licences, often close to where traffic lights are not functioning.
The AA said too often a roadblock is set up with the purpose of checking documents.
"While this is an important function, their relevance must be weighed against the immediate need for free-flowing traffic and the safety of motorists. If resources are too thinly spread, the deployment schedules of traffic law enforcers must be revisited, and priority must be given to addressing problems caused by rolling blackouts instead of checking for expired discs and licences.
“We again call on the Road Traffic Management Corporation and the national and provincial Departments of Traffic to ensure such an approach is implemented countrywide as a matter of urgency," the AA said.
IOL