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Safety campaign continues
- Details
- 17 April 2012
Safety was again highlighted around the Johannesburg Art Gallery Station, where pedestrians and motorists were targeted by Rea Vaya officials.
IN another show of putting safety first, Rea Vaya officials returned to the Johannesburg Art Gallery Station to teach pedestrians and motorists about the rules of the road. Bus drivers are included in the campaign.
It is aimed at preventing injuries and fatalities at Rea Vaya stations. It was at the station on 13 April, where it will remain until the end of the month. The first safety visit to the station was on 5 April.
The art gallery station was chosen for the campaign because of its high accident rate, a result of the higher number of pedestrians moving to and from the city centre, Berea and Hillbrow.
Sipho Mahlangu, Rea Vaya's deputy director of safety and security, described it as a place where there was a major problem. "It is going to take us some years to get people to be co-operative," he admitted.
Many City officials from various entities participated, helping to distribute pamphlets to passing pedestrians, bus drivers and motorists. Mahlangu, who is forever enthusiastic when it comes to safety on the road, said the main focus of the campaign on the day was at the corner Noord and Twist streets, where most accidents occurred.
Several pedestrians have been knocked down by Rea Vaya buses on this corner, and people walking in the middle of the road were urged to stop doing this as it could cost them their lives. "When people walk in the bus lane they hardly hear the bus when it is approaching," said Mahlangu.
Among other problems identified was that pedestrians did not always cross the road at designated areas, such as at traffic lights. "We are teaching them to be responsible of their safety."
BUS LANES
He also said motorists should not be excluded, as they had been in previous safety drives. On the day, as on many other days, drivers opted to try their luck on the Rea Vaya lanes in an attempt to beat peak hour traffic.
However, metro police officials took care of them, giving them a harsh lecture on the by-laws, and forcing them to return to their original lanes.
Mahlangu said the campaign would take place each week until the end of April. From there, it would be taken to Orlando, in Soweto.
"Last time we were here, people were so impressed they commented on and applauded the campaign. With your commitment, this joint campaign will be a success and people will finally get the message and comply," said Mahlangu.
Pedestrians suggested that speed humps should be installed to ensure that bus drivers slowed down when they approached the station. They also suggested that there should be infrastructure in place that would make it impossible for pedestrians to jump into and walk on the bus lane.
A security guard who works at the station said that since the first safety visit at the beginning to the month, no accidents had been reported.
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