Motorists with outstanding fines can run but they won’t be able to hide much longer.
BCM traffic officers will be out in force carrying out daily roadblocks for a while. Teams were visible in many parts of the metro at the weekend.
BCM traffic commander Quintin Chetty said 541 vehicles were stopped on Bonza Bay Road and the North East Expressway (NEX) over the weekend. He said 135 traffic fines were paid at the Automated Number-plate Recognition (ANPR) system bus, which has been assisting in collection of outstanding fines, execution of outstanding warrants of arrest and finalisation of traffic ticket cases for two years.
“People go through the ramp and the bus scans the vehicle and tells us the outstanding fees. People are then given a slip to sort out their fines or a summons will be served.”
On Sunday, traffic was backed up for kilometres on the NEX as motorists inched past the ANPR. Some drivers escaped the bumper-to-bumper jam by reversing all the way off the freeway and driving in the wrong lane. Chetty said: “People take shortcuts or go another route because obviously they have outstanding fines. But if we miss them in one roadblock we’ll get them in another one because we’ll be doing this every day.”
The roadblocks are part of BCM’s Easter weekend safety plans. “We are reminding motorists that they have outstanding fines or warrants of arrest. Those who want to pay are more than welcome to do so. At the same time we are bringing services to the people instead of them having to stand in long queues or go to court or to the traffic department.”“We also check for other offences such as driver or vehicle fitness, unroadworthy vehicles and drunk driving. There was a positive reaction from motorists. We highlight road safety and we will continue with these operations to curb accidents volumes on our roads.”Chetty urged motorists to abide by the road laws.“Not paying fines can lead to more lawlessness because if people do not pay they do not feel it. That is non-compliance.“If people are driving in the wrong lane trying to run away from the roadblocks then that behaviour will be severely prosecuted. It is a serious offence.”Chetty said BCM would also have stalls at malls in the metro for motorist to check on their traffic fine status. “We are also exploring that avenue to solve the traffic fine issue,” he said.Some frustrated drivers vented on Facebook from their stationary cars on the NEX.“It’s absolutely ridiculous,” wrote one.bhongoj@tisoblackstar.co.za..