Durban - Msunduzi Municipality has urged all residents to adhere to traffic laws as traffic officers were intensifying law enforcement in Pietermaritzburg.
The municipality said in a statement on Tuesday that traffic officers would be cracking down on lawlessness.
“We urge all motorists to have their safety belts on all the time, reduce speed when driving in the CBD, always have a valid driver's licence with them and pay all road fines,” said the city.
Commenting on the warning issued on the city’s Facebook page, one resident questioned the timing of the increased law enforcement.
“Why has the lawlessness been allowed for the past at least five years, in the first place? Suddenly people are showing face. Taxis coming down from Sweetwaters into Mayor's Walk Road, overtaking on the wrong side of the road like they are the law, it's a joke and the traffic officers in this town are also a joke,” he said.
Many residents posted roads and areas where they have experienced motorists disobeying the rules of the road which has caused daily frustrations.
One resident asked traffic officers to watch out for red robot jumping which she claims happens all over town.
“Should see Edendale Road, and the amount of taxis speeding through red robots while the other side is green. Extremely dangerous, I'm waiting for fatalities,” she said.
A woman resident agreed that there was total lawlessness in Pietermaritzburg when it comes to speeding, red robots, cutting other vehicles off and badly maintained vehicles on the road.
“It's gotten absolutely ridiculous. My drive to work basically consists of avoiding getting hit because of how reckless people are: driving on the wrong side of the road, pulling out with no regard to safety, overtaking on blind rises and corners, and cutting people off just to name a few,” added another resident.
Another resident pleaded with traffic officers to go to Mayor’s Walk during rush hour.
“I have put in too many requests to count for this to happen and we are lucky if it happens once a year. We have taxis, private vehicles, company vehicles and state vehicles merrily going the wrong way up a wrong way street, and the potholes here are massive,” he said.
THE MERCURY