As thousands of pupils return to school next week, Msunduzi Municipality and the national Department of Transport (DoT) have begun preparations to manage the annual surge in traffic congestion and road safety risks associated with the start of the school year. Msunduzi’s acting spokesperson Anele Makhanya said the municipality has carried out inspections to ensure that traffic lights at busy intersections near schools are operational and that, should any fail on the day, the City is ready to deploy traffic officers. “We know that back-to-school traffic congestion is always a concern for parents and motorists, which is why we have already started preparing to deal with any challenges that may arise,” she said.
Last year was marked by a series of scholar transport incidents that shocked and saddened the nation. One such incident occurred in Imbali last September, when a scholar transport vehicle crashed into a crèche, killing five schoolchildren who were in the area at the time. “We do not want to alert potential offenders, so we cannot disclose the exact time or location of the roadblocks, but we can confirm that municipal officers and officials will be on the roads,” she said.
Road safety during the back-to-school period has also drawn the attention of the Department of Transport, with Transport Minister Barbara Creecy participating in a roadblock at the Bapong Weighbridge in the North West province on Thursday. The operation assessed the roadworthiness of scholar transport vehicles and the fitness of operators.
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