City’s Traffic Services will commence Operation Exodus on Thursday 15 December 2011 to monitor all vehicles leaving Cape Town’s public transport interchanges. The operation will run until 23 December 2011 and seeks to ensure safer roads over the Festive Season.
Story Additional Traffic Officers will be dispatched to public transport interchanges, focusing on Joe Gqabi, Dunoon and Bellville, so that they can patrol the areas and prevent illegal ranking.
As part of Operation Exodus, Traffic Officers will test every vehicle that leaves the city’s public transport interchanges for vehicle fitness. Any vehicles that are not declared roadworthy will be suspended and prohibited from travelling further.
Officers will also ensure that all driver and vehicle documentation is in order prior to the vehicle’s departure. A record will be kept of all public transport vehicles leaving the city’s public transport interchanges and this information will be shared with other departments and key role-players. Such information-sharing is crucial because it allows Traffic Services to keep a record of the trip schedule and any roadworthy checks that have already been performed.
As part of the operation, officers will screen vehicle loads, especially those of trailers. Any vehicles suspected of over-loading will be taken to the nearest weighbridge and goods will be off-loaded if necessary.
Traffic Services will continue to enforce responsible driving throughout the city. A range of roadblocks will be held across Cape Town, in partnership with the Provincial Government of the Western Cape and the South African Police Services.
The City encourages all road users to ensure that their vehicles are roadworthy before setting off on any long journey. Passengers should also act responsibly by refusing to travel in unroadworthy vehicles. Drivers are reminded to stop regularly to prevent driver fatigue which is a major contributing factor for accidents. Passengers can play their part by encouraging drivers to stop when they look tired.
