GEORGE NEWS - Schools reopening, vehicle breakdowns, impatient motorists and poor driving behaviour are among the demons causing long queues when motorists enter and leave Pacaltsdorp and Thembalethu during peak hours. So says acting municipal traffic chief, Vernon Peterson.

During the last couple of weeks George Herald has received numerous complaints about backed-up and slow-moving traffic in the above-mentioned areas. It causes children to arrive late for school and adults late for work. 

Commuters travelling by bus also have to bear the brunt of ever-increasing traffic on our roads.

"We are forced to take the earlier buses, but it's unsafe for us to walk to the bus stop or wait there for the bus," said one of the complainants. 

"Our children come late for school and get locked out of their classrooms and we arrive late for work."

Solutions

Peterson said they are aware of the current traffic situation.

"Traffic officers assist in Thembalethu every morning and afternoon. The backlog is due to the dual lane in the direction of the CBD that becomes a single lane before the Thembalethu bridge. Vehicle breakdowns sometimes cause congestion.

"In collaboration with Civil Engineering Services the flow of traffic will be reviewed to create order in both directions. The future plans to broaden the N2 bridge, a project to be undertaken by Sanral, will definitely improve the traffic flow," he said.

Traffic congestion during peak hours has also become a huge nightmare for commuters in Pacaltsdorp.

Peterson said he has been monitoring the traffic flow closely since schools started and there is definitely a higher volume of vehicles than last year.

He said point duty officers (pointsmen) were initially deployed to assist with traffic flow, but have since been removed.

"The situation is being monitored and should there be a need to adjust the traffic light phase, this would be done in conjunction with the electrotechnical services department.

Traffic officers will assist where necessary and the public is requested to be patient and adjust their travelling times. The use of public transport is also encouraged," he said.

Woes and praise for pointsmen

Along with the complaints of traffic congestion came those about the point duty officers at traffic lights in the mornings.

"They are creating massive traffic backlogs and I and many of my friends would like to know what their function is and how long they are going to be here?" said a resident of George.

"They weren't active on Friday and neither today and traffic flowed perfectly. On the days they operated, it was a nightmare and travel times were three to four times longer."

According to Peterson, the pointsmen were appointed during the festive season to ease traffic in George.

He does however admit to some teething problems but says these were ironed out and the pointsment quickly became a huge asset to the municipality.

"The point duty officers rendered a service from 06:00 to 18:00 in the week and worked even longer hours during some weekends. They still assist at busy intersections, schools and beaches over weekends until their contract expires on 22 February this year," he said.

'We bring you the latest George, Garden Route news'