1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:02,440 Speaker 1: The East. Long weekend is one of the busiest periods 2 00:00:02,480 --> 00:00:05,600 Speaker 1: on South African roads, with thousands of people traveling to 3 00:00:05,680 --> 00:00:09,320 Speaker 1: holiday destinations and back home again. And with that increase 4 00:00:09,440 --> 00:00:14,360 Speaker 1: in traffic comes a heightened risk of accidents, more congestion 5 00:00:14,480 --> 00:00:17,680 Speaker 1: on the roads and road accidents. Authorities across the Western 6 00:00:17,720 --> 00:00:21,759 Speaker 1: Cape are gearing up for a high volume period on 7 00:00:21,880 --> 00:00:25,400 Speaker 1: major routes, and law enforcement visibility is expected to be 8 00:00:25,480 --> 00:00:29,640 Speaker 1: ramped up with a strong focus on driver behavior and 9 00:00:29,760 --> 00:00:33,360 Speaker 1: vehicle compliance. Now, we still haven't reached the point of 10 00:00:34,280 --> 00:00:39,040 Speaker 1: you know, people understanding and drivers understanding the concept of 11 00:00:39,200 --> 00:00:42,440 Speaker 1: zero tolerance and that we will not take you and 12 00:00:42,520 --> 00:00:45,800 Speaker 1: not entertain you if you are drinking and driving on 13 00:00:45,840 --> 00:00:48,640 Speaker 1: the roads. Some of the key factors that we'll be 14 00:00:49,080 --> 00:00:52,160 Speaker 1: chatting about. We chat now to the Western Cape. Chief 15 00:00:52,240 --> 00:00:55,880 Speaker 1: Director of Traffic Management, Maxine was saying that about the 16 00:00:55,920 --> 00:00:59,120 Speaker 1: Easter weekend traffic vaccine, very good morning to you, busy 17 00:00:59,160 --> 00:01:01,920 Speaker 1: weekend for you, good morning. 18 00:01:01,720 --> 00:01:05,640 Speaker 2: Saying yes, it started yesterday already, but you know what 19 00:01:05,800 --> 00:01:09,000 Speaker 2: was encouraging to see, it's a level of compliance. So yes, 20 00:01:09,000 --> 00:01:10,959 Speaker 2: say we're at the twenty four hour oadblock on the 21 00:01:11,040 --> 00:01:13,320 Speaker 2: end one of the Huguenot tunnel and with that where 22 00:01:13,520 --> 00:01:18,360 Speaker 2: multiple activations across the province. We saw lots of compliance 23 00:01:18,400 --> 00:01:21,520 Speaker 2: people wearing the seat belts. But my concern is what 24 00:01:21,640 --> 00:01:24,840 Speaker 2: happens when they leave that roadblock, because then people think, oh, 25 00:01:24,880 --> 00:01:27,279 Speaker 2: it's the tater speed, it's a great additata and clip 26 00:01:27,560 --> 00:01:29,600 Speaker 2: the seat belt and those type of things. So with 27 00:01:29,880 --> 00:01:35,280 Speaker 2: the visible checkpoints and oadblocks, we've also have revised our 28 00:01:35,319 --> 00:01:38,560 Speaker 2: plan and added high visibility patrols, so our officers are 29 00:01:38,600 --> 00:01:42,120 Speaker 2: patrolling all the major routes, all the national orders and 30 00:01:42,120 --> 00:01:43,679 Speaker 2: prevent orders within the province. 31 00:01:44,600 --> 00:01:48,520 Speaker 1: What is the traffic expectations for the Western Cape over 32 00:01:48,560 --> 00:01:53,840 Speaker 1: this particular weekend. Certainly the influence of the high pedal 33 00:01:53,920 --> 00:01:56,279 Speaker 1: price must have done something, but a lot of people 34 00:01:56,320 --> 00:01:59,560 Speaker 1: filled their vehicles and were waiting for the long weekend 35 00:01:59,600 --> 00:02:02,360 Speaker 1: to take the trip that they want to trick. They've booked, obviously, 36 00:02:02,400 --> 00:02:05,400 Speaker 1: booked accommodation, They've booked a lot of stuff before the 37 00:02:05,440 --> 00:02:08,200 Speaker 1: petrol price went up. So are we looking and we 38 00:02:08,360 --> 00:02:11,800 Speaker 1: are we expecting heavy traffic on the major routes heading 39 00:02:11,800 --> 00:02:12,280 Speaker 1: out of town. 40 00:02:13,480 --> 00:02:15,919 Speaker 2: So what we have noticed saying, and this was really 41 00:02:15,960 --> 00:02:18,079 Speaker 2: interesting for me. Yes, say, we were at the one 42 00:02:18,080 --> 00:02:21,680 Speaker 2: of the busiest PPIs a public transport interchanges in the 43 00:02:21,720 --> 00:02:24,520 Speaker 2: city was Joe Garby. Joegoby was empty. There were about 44 00:02:24,560 --> 00:02:27,720 Speaker 2: eight buses and four minibus taxes that they took over 45 00:02:27,760 --> 00:02:31,079 Speaker 2: the pit. And then because that's normally, you know, your 46 00:02:31,160 --> 00:02:34,639 Speaker 2: high volume of people leaving the city, especially before Good 47 00:02:34,680 --> 00:02:37,960 Speaker 2: Friday on the Thursday, they would exit and you know, 48 00:02:38,080 --> 00:02:40,840 Speaker 2: interviewing some some of the pedestrians and some of the 49 00:02:40,880 --> 00:02:44,400 Speaker 2: taxi jobs and they were saying, no, people are not leaving. 50 00:02:45,400 --> 00:02:48,000 Speaker 2: You know, the petrol prices to hire some of some 51 00:02:48,080 --> 00:02:50,440 Speaker 2: of the people left last weekend already were the start 52 00:02:50,440 --> 00:02:53,880 Speaker 2: of the school holidays, pee emptying the petrol price increase. 53 00:02:54,280 --> 00:02:56,680 Speaker 2: So when we were I mean we were all systems 54 00:02:56,720 --> 00:02:59,200 Speaker 2: go yes through at Joe Goby and it was absolutely nothing. 55 00:02:59,280 --> 00:03:02,520 Speaker 2: We even surveyed the traffic over because we used the 56 00:03:02,560 --> 00:03:05,720 Speaker 2: jone yesterday for some Joan enforcement. Well, even surveyed the 57 00:03:05,760 --> 00:03:08,440 Speaker 2: Mitchell Spain Mitchell Spain was quiet, is it Berman with 58 00:03:08,560 --> 00:03:12,960 Speaker 2: the pedestient Tenced Road in Mitchell's Plain was absolutely quiet. 59 00:03:13,000 --> 00:03:15,919 Speaker 2: A few taxes causing avacrely that the officer sorted out. 60 00:03:16,720 --> 00:03:19,960 Speaker 2: And then last night I took a drive on the roads. 61 00:03:20,160 --> 00:03:22,920 Speaker 2: There were some people you know, filling up at the 62 00:03:23,000 --> 00:03:26,400 Speaker 2: in one engine, some of the minibus saxies filling up 63 00:03:26,440 --> 00:03:29,839 Speaker 2: the but not the volumes that we've seen in previous years. 64 00:03:29,880 --> 00:03:34,040 Speaker 1: Day chatting this morning to Maxine Berset, No Western Cape, 65 00:03:34,280 --> 00:03:38,440 Speaker 1: Chief Director of Traffic Management, and we chatting about the 66 00:03:38,480 --> 00:03:41,840 Speaker 1: Easter weekend and road safety measures and what you should 67 00:03:41,840 --> 00:03:45,080 Speaker 1: be looking out for. Have the routes the other routes 68 00:03:45,120 --> 00:03:48,400 Speaker 1: been busy and what are the enforcement measures that we 69 00:03:48,520 --> 00:03:51,640 Speaker 1: have in place to ensure that people are safe from 70 00:03:51,640 --> 00:03:53,680 Speaker 1: the road because a lot of people think that the 71 00:03:54,160 --> 00:03:57,240 Speaker 1: fact that an officer isn't on the road is an inconvenience. No, 72 00:03:57,360 --> 00:03:59,600 Speaker 1: it's not. It's there to keep you safe. 73 00:04:00,640 --> 00:04:02,360 Speaker 2: So what we have seen on this morning I was 74 00:04:02,440 --> 00:04:05,520 Speaker 2: chatting to the team was some coning both work last 75 00:04:05,560 --> 00:04:08,000 Speaker 2: night and I remember saying both that deserved the intero 76 00:04:08,040 --> 00:04:11,240 Speaker 2: and exit point into the province. It's only the one 77 00:04:11,280 --> 00:04:13,480 Speaker 2: that road that leads you out or the anyone and 78 00:04:13,680 --> 00:04:16,000 Speaker 2: where trucks parked along the side of the road and 79 00:04:16,120 --> 00:04:18,159 Speaker 2: wanting to fill up, and that caused a little bit 80 00:04:18,200 --> 00:04:21,239 Speaker 2: of congestion and people wanting to leave for the holiday 81 00:04:21,279 --> 00:04:24,080 Speaker 2: destinations wherever they're going. When they passed through Beaufort and 82 00:04:24,200 --> 00:04:27,760 Speaker 2: that has cleared up significantly this morning. We've also spoken 83 00:04:27,880 --> 00:04:30,839 Speaker 2: to George and to Nisen and Toremanas the towns are 84 00:04:30,880 --> 00:04:34,720 Speaker 2: fairly quiet even in and around the city, so if 85 00:04:34,760 --> 00:04:38,000 Speaker 2: you are traveling, then stick to the speed limit. I 86 00:04:38,200 --> 00:04:41,760 Speaker 2: was appalled last night I was driving on into and 87 00:04:41,880 --> 00:04:43,760 Speaker 2: it took you know, the ramp onto the art three 88 00:04:43,800 --> 00:04:46,920 Speaker 2: hundred people are speeding for no apparent reason, saying I 89 00:04:47,040 --> 00:04:49,440 Speaker 2: don't know where people are going to and the road 90 00:04:49,480 --> 00:04:51,640 Speaker 2: to a work class night. It is still wet. So 91 00:04:52,000 --> 00:04:54,680 Speaker 2: we've moved away from the visible checkpoints to the high 92 00:04:54,760 --> 00:04:59,359 Speaker 2: visibility patrol, so the officers are patrolling around everywhere stopping 93 00:04:59,520 --> 00:05:02,120 Speaker 2: vehicles than doing you know, the adult chicks and those things. 94 00:05:02,480 --> 00:05:05,000 Speaker 2: But saying, if I may, we had a very serious 95 00:05:05,080 --> 00:05:08,240 Speaker 2: incident that happened last night, and I just wanted to 96 00:05:08,360 --> 00:05:13,320 Speaker 2: appeal to the listeners if anybody noticed anything you know 97 00:05:13,520 --> 00:05:15,400 Speaker 2: of this kind of lagure happening on the N seven 98 00:05:15,480 --> 00:05:18,040 Speaker 2: last night. One of our officers were shot at the 99 00:05:18,200 --> 00:05:21,640 Speaker 2: N seven. Your bullock damn here in fear and dull 100 00:05:21,760 --> 00:05:25,560 Speaker 2: he was. He stopped the drump driver wanted to test 101 00:05:25,600 --> 00:05:28,360 Speaker 2: the driver, and the driver subsequently shot him he is 102 00:05:28,400 --> 00:05:32,440 Speaker 2: still in sergy. He is critical but stable. I didn't 103 00:05:32,520 --> 00:05:36,919 Speaker 2: know how those two words marry. But we're just appealing 104 00:05:37,000 --> 00:05:39,080 Speaker 2: to the public to please if you were driving on 105 00:05:39,120 --> 00:05:40,680 Speaker 2: the N seven last night and if you saw the 106 00:05:40,760 --> 00:05:43,719 Speaker 2: officer's car just on the side of the road, because 107 00:05:44,240 --> 00:05:46,320 Speaker 2: a member of the public then alerted to us that 108 00:05:46,720 --> 00:05:49,000 Speaker 2: you know, one of your officers is like slumped over 109 00:05:49,080 --> 00:05:53,640 Speaker 2: in his vehicle. And our provincial officers at the moment, 110 00:05:53,880 --> 00:05:56,920 Speaker 2: are you know we already said that something like this 111 00:05:57,240 --> 00:05:59,760 Speaker 2: happened to one of our officers, Our officers that are 112 00:05:59,760 --> 00:06:03,120 Speaker 2: out the last night trying to prepict the road users, 113 00:06:03,200 --> 00:06:07,560 Speaker 2: and then to subsequently suffer a faith like this, it's 114 00:06:07,600 --> 00:06:08,080 Speaker 2: not nice. 115 00:06:09,160 --> 00:06:11,440 Speaker 1: Well, all the best to the team, and all the 116 00:06:11,520 --> 00:06:15,720 Speaker 1: best to the entire traffic team at Provincial Traffic. We 117 00:06:16,520 --> 00:06:19,400 Speaker 1: keep those that officer in our thoughts and in our prayers. 118 00:06:19,720 --> 00:06:22,360 Speaker 1: Imagine one of the most common mistakes that people are making. 119 00:06:22,440 --> 00:06:24,159 Speaker 1: Are we still drinking and driving on the road? 120 00:06:25,080 --> 00:06:27,600 Speaker 2: We are still drinking and driving. We are particulating the 121 00:06:27,680 --> 00:06:30,760 Speaker 2: stats over the last three days, we've seen some significant 122 00:06:30,920 --> 00:06:35,560 Speaker 2: arrests and also speeding, saying people are just being so rickless, reckless, overtaking, 123 00:06:35,720 --> 00:06:39,560 Speaker 2: and we sought last year with the fiftive season. It 124 00:06:39,720 --> 00:06:44,960 Speaker 2: takes one person to overtake recklessly and then to subsequently 125 00:06:45,040 --> 00:06:47,320 Speaker 2: be involved in a head on collision. And that's what 126 00:06:47,440 --> 00:06:51,719 Speaker 2: we saw in the accident on the end seven last 127 00:06:51,760 --> 00:06:54,480 Speaker 2: week's there where five lives were lost. And you know 128 00:06:54,560 --> 00:06:57,720 Speaker 2: what the most significant thing for me was saying we 129 00:06:57,920 --> 00:07:01,880 Speaker 2: always talk about about seat else. All the passengers that 130 00:07:02,040 --> 00:07:04,840 Speaker 2: were not wearing these seat belts in that accident or 131 00:07:04,920 --> 00:07:09,359 Speaker 2: that crash on Sunday died. The passengers that were wearing 132 00:07:09,440 --> 00:07:12,600 Speaker 2: seat belts, they were injured, taken to hospital, but when 133 00:07:12,680 --> 00:07:15,240 Speaker 2: we were going through the crime scene were succession investigator. 134 00:07:15,400 --> 00:07:17,560 Speaker 2: He pointed out that people that were not wearing these 135 00:07:17,600 --> 00:07:20,560 Speaker 2: seat belts were flung out and died as a result 136 00:07:20,600 --> 00:07:24,280 Speaker 2: of the injuries. Some appealing to Motrius were your seatbelts 137 00:07:24,480 --> 00:07:27,600 Speaker 2: pedestrians as well. The amount of the differance walking along 138 00:07:27,680 --> 00:07:31,120 Speaker 2: our freeways wearing dark clothing, say, is shady, and we've 139 00:07:31,160 --> 00:07:33,000 Speaker 2: been panting all the time. You know, it were something 140 00:07:33,080 --> 00:07:37,160 Speaker 2: reflective with something white, because we know that pedestrians don't 141 00:07:37,880 --> 00:07:40,000 Speaker 2: walk along the highways because they feel like the people 142 00:07:40,080 --> 00:07:43,240 Speaker 2: have been especially displaced there. So we need to be mindful, 143 00:07:43,360 --> 00:07:45,680 Speaker 2: especially as Motris where we're griding along the into the 144 00:07:45,880 --> 00:07:48,400 Speaker 2: arthy Aid and the in One and beyond, the lookout 145 00:07:48,400 --> 00:07:50,040 Speaker 2: for outer distrians. 146 00:07:50,800 --> 00:07:54,480 Speaker 1: Maxine per saying that Western Cape chief Director of Traffic Management, 147 00:07:54,560 --> 00:07:56,840 Speaker 1: thank you so much for your time. If you are 148 00:07:56,960 --> 00:07:59,920 Speaker 1: on the roads, please make sure that you are safe 149 00:08:00,160 --> 00:08:02,520 Speaker 1: and slow down. Just take it easy. You'll get to 150 00:08:02,560 --> 00:08:05,840 Speaker 1: your holiday time maybe five ten minutes later, and you'll 151 00:08:05,880 --> 00:08:07,200 Speaker 1: get back home again safely.