By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Truck crashes are almost daily occurrence in South Africa, with road freight becoming the main mode of transportation for goods and services in the country.
Government wants to have a 10-year road master plan in place, including how to get at least 50 million tonnes of freight and 100 million passengers from road to rail.
This follows yet another fatal truck accident on the N3 highway, where a truck driver failed to stop due to alleged brake failure, crashing into several vehicles as a result. Nine vehicles were involved in the pile-up, leaving four people dead.
There is a concerted effort from the national government and the Department of Transport, in particular, to rebuild and revitalise train sector to shift the burden from road to rail – however, this is a long and arduous process that still faces many challenges.
Responding to a written parliamentary Q&A this week, transport minister Fikile Mbalula noted that the obsolete state of much of the rail infrastructure and rolling stock do not make it attractive for the private sector to shift cargo from road to rail.
“Safety and security, mainly due to rampant theft and vandalism of railway infrastructure, is also a concern,” he said. “The unavailability of rolling stock and locomotives is key for third-party access and currently hinders new operators from operating on the rail network.”
While plans are underway to address these challenges, the state and operation of trucks on the roads – and the dangers they present – cannot go unaddressed, however.
The minister laid out some of the plans his department is implementing to address truck crashes in the country. These include identifying the most dangerous routes and considering stronger laws relating to the operation of trucks on public roads.
- A national integrated plan identifying hazardous routes in each province has been developed. Law enforcement operations will be held along these routes by provincial and municipal traffic departments.
- Mobile vehicle testing equipment will also be deployed along the routes to test the roadworthiness of the trucks.
- Block patrols will also be intensified to ensure that drivers conduct themselves appropriately and drive with due consideration for other road users. The National Traffic Police will be deployed to assist provinces in areas where there is insufficient capacity.
- Section 50 of the National Traffic Act, which empowers MECs to deal with repeat offenders, will be invoked to enable MECs to initiate investigations against operators and to obtain information about vehicle and driver fitness.
- Regulations to strengthen the current rules relating to the operation of trucks on a public road, the construction and equipment of such vehicles and the conditions on which they may be operated are being considered.
- Department of Transport is working closely with the Department of Public Enterprises to move cargo from road to rail.
- Sanral will implement engineering solutions, where required, to provide a median barrier to prevent vehicles from overtaking into oncoming traffic.
- Monitoring mechanisms have been put in place, and reports will be analysed regularly to ensure that these interventions have the desired impact.
Mbalula said that a number of solutions are being considered to expedite this plan in the next few years.
Meanwhile the minister said his department is not ready to make any official announcement on extending the validity of driver’s licences in South Africa beyond five years, as engagements are still ongoing.
Mbalula said that the decision on whether to extend the validity of driver’s licence cards beyond the current five years period will be made once all engagement processes have been finalised.