AN OPEN LETTER TO Minister Barbara Creedythe Government of National Unity.

TRAFFIC CRISIS.

Dear President Ramaphosa

You are probably facing many crises at the moment, but you may not be aware of the one that is growing daily on the roads of South Africa.

Like an insidious cancer this problem is building steadily and will soon be the same as the cholesterol which blocks an artery and causes a fatal heart attack.

Quite simply, the roads of your country are becoming choked by hundreds of thousands of trucks, the number of which is growing exponentially.

A 2022 estimate put the number of HMVs on South Africa's toads at 500 000, but there will be many more now.

It is not inconceivable that one day you will awake to find the highways of your country gridlocked.
Terminal immobility.

We all know that much of the freight that these trucks are carrying was once moved by Transnet, but the railway system of South Africa now lies in tatters like much other infrastructure that has perished in the hands of the ANC government.

However, this letter is not designed to discuss the causes of this crisis or point fingers, but to dwell rather on possible solutions.

Of course, SANRAL is working all over the country to add extra lanes to national highways and generally improve the roads but, ironically, the combination of roadworks and trucks is only making the situation worse.
Besides, these improvements will only ever be behind the curve because the trucking industry is growing at a much faster rate.

I would like to offer a solution.

In a word...CURFEW.

If the number if HMVs on the roads can't be controlled, at least the RATE OF FLOW can be, by introducing stretegic curfews.

Here's my preliminary suggestion:

New legislation must urgently be promulgated which ensures that only trucks carrying vital supplies...like groceries, perishables, livestock, medication & medical equipment, and anything which requires refrigeration...be allowed on the national highways during the day.
All other trucks should only be allowed to travel in the hours of darkness between 6pm and 6am.

The categories of freight, and subsequent permits, would need to be carefully considered by persons more qualified than me, but the concept is clear.
By modulating the flow of HMVs through seeding curfews, congestion could be significantly reduced.

The huge volume of trucks on our roads is not only causing conjestion and significant damage to our infrastructure, but is also creating what is fast becoming a humanitarian crisis in the form of daily injuries and fatalities.
These trucks are, indisputably, an enormous hazard to other road users.

I would speculate that your traffic police and other road agencies lost control of the trucking industry long ago because, from what I too often observe on the N3 between Pietermaritzburg and Durban, truck drivers have become a law unto themselves.

Mr President, it is incumbent on you to act NOW, and I sincerely believe that your best, immediate solution is the implementation of curfews.

Yours Sincerely,
A concerned and frightened citizen,
DON CLARKE - Howick, KZN.

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