For the last nine months I have been commuting to work and back on a little 125cc bike, using the M1 North or M1 South, between the Woodmead and Smit Street on and off-ramps. This has been a lot less suicidal than I first thought it would be.
I have observed that compared to five years ago, there is a significant increase in visible policing by the JMPD which has lead to a marked improvement in the general behaviour of fellow road users. I seldom see a taxi or anyone else using the emergency lane as an additional lane for their own private use. I often see motorists being pulled over and fined for crossing barrier lines or painted islands and being caught for using a hand held cellphone. Great, fantastic, now we are getting somewhere. I congratulate the JMPD on this improvement.
However, I have a question that has been troubling me. I see JMPD pulling dodgy- looking buses and overloaded or unroadworthy bakkies off the road. Finally, they are focusing on offences that do directly cause serious accidents. My question is this: What happens if the vehicle is totally overloaded or completely unroadworthy?
My fear is that these people are heavily fined and delayed for an hour or so but they then get back into their vehicle and continue their journey. The point of the exercise is to prevent a disaster from taking place and this simply could not be achieved if the offender is allowed to go on.
This would be really disappointing if they are not stopped where they are and not allowed to go a kilometre further. I understand there are huge logistical implications of halting a vehicle on the side of one of the busiest roads on the continent but what would be the point if they are not.
Please don’t tell me this has nothing to do with road safety and is just “all about the money” or even worse, “all about the bribe”. I would be very grateful if you could address this issue at some point and put my little head at ease.
