Cycling enthusiasts from all over South Africa drove to Knysna with their mountain bikes fitted on bike carriers on the back of their cars obscuring the rear number plates. As cyclists drove to Knysna through George and some other places on the N2, the provincial traffic department as well as the George Municipality's traffic services fined them R500 for this offence.
Several of those fined complained and said it is a downer for George's tourism. Mark Gilmore of Somerset West asked: "Is an obscure number plate so serious in the context of the crime situation in the country? I don't know if the local police care or whether they see this as another way to make money off soft targets, but there are much more visitor-friendly ways to make their presence felt."
Another fined cycling enthusiast said: "It is the law and I guess I deserve my fine," although he felt that an obscured number plate on a car that is 100 per cent roadworthy, is not likely to cause an accident. "The great weekend had a very sour taste to start with. Again I agree I broke the law, but the relevance of the law under the circumstances to me, smacks of making money." They also pointed out that as far as they were aware the Knysna traffic authorities did not fine the guests to their town for this offence.
Mark Green, manager: traffic services at the George Municipality said: "I will investigate the merits of the complaints. The traffic fine issued is correct. We should not confuse tourism with road safety and traffic contraventions. Many of these obscured number plates are involved in terms of speed enforcement and traffic officers is not selective when they enforce the law."
The head of the Southern Cape provincial traffic services, Gerald Becker also took a strong stand by saying: "The traffic laws must be obeyed." Becker denied that they targeted the motorists with obscured number plates. "We concentrate on this specific law throughout the year. Cyclists are well aware of the law, because in all the cycling magazines they are constantly reminded to attach a visible number plate at the back of the bicycles. It's cheaper to get an extra number plate for R60 than to pay a fine of R500.
One of the cars that was pulled over the Friday before the Knysna Oyster Festival's mountain bike race. It's clear that you can't see the number plate.
ARTICLE: CHRISTO VERMAAK, GEORGE HERALD JOURNALIST
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