Staff Reporter.
N3 toll route experienced heavy traffic on Tuesday as holiday-makers are making their way back to their workplaces.
N3 Toll Concession (N3TC) operations manager Thania Dhoogra said between 3 pm and 9 pm up to 2 000 vehicles per hour were expected to be passing through the toll gates with slow-moving conditions, possible congestion and delays.
Between 9 pm and midnight up to 1 500 vehicles were expected to pass through the toll gates per hour.
Dhoogra warned that on a busy national route like the N3 a single unforeseen incident (vehicle breakdown, crash, fire or chemical spill among others) could disrupt the traffic flow, resulting in congestion and delays.
She also warned motorists about the “unpredictable” weather.
“Most regions along the N3 Toll Route are prone to scattered thunderstorms, heavy rainfall, hailstorms, high winds and/or misty conditions. Please exercise extra caution when roads are wet and visibility is poor. Reduce your speed, turn your vehicle’s headlights on, increase your following distance and stay focused on driving defensively for the sake of all road users,” she said.
She said road incident management system (RIMS) teams have been deployed along the N3 transport corridor, and will remain on high alert over the next few days in order to quickly respond to emergencies, and mitigate against disruptions and secondary incidents that may occur.
KZN Transport, Community Safety and Liaison MEC Sipho Hlomuka said he was satisfied with the decrease in road crashes and fatalities during the 2023 festive season holidays.
He said the province was currently taking stock of the performance of the enforcement operations for the festive season and was pleased that the preliminary reports suggested a serious decrease.
The province had set a target of 10% reduction and the indications currently are that we are at a 13% reduction. The situation is currently being monitored as most holiday-makers are making their way back.
“There are currently high volumes of traffic mainly on the N2 and N3. Other provincial roads linking small towns are heavily monitored by traffic enforcement comprising of the Road Traffic Inspectorate (RTI), National Traffic Police (NTP) and local authorities,” said Hlomuka.
He said more than 88 502 vehicles were stopped this festive season and more than 10 730 charges were meted out against road users who violated the traffic regulations.
Hlomuka commended the law enforcement agencies, saying their visibility and commitment is yielding positive results.