JRA’s Transport Month safety campaign ‘a huge success’

25 October 2016

 

The Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) – the City of Johannesburg’s entity responsible for providing and maintaining roads and storm water infrastructure – has described the Transport Month campaign urging communities to take collective ownership of road and transport infrastructure as “a huge success”.

 

Transport Month, first observed throughout South Africa in October 2005, seeks to highlight the significance of transport in the economy. JRA officials have since Thursday October 13 visited several shopping malls and taxi ranks across the city to urge residents to be vigilant against criminal acts, which not only cost the City millions of rand each year but also put the lives of road users and other members of the community at risk.

The week-long roadshow, which ended on October 20, was also aimed at building active citizenry and encouraging a better-informed community of road users.

Bertha Scheepers, JRA’s Operations Manager, said JRA, with the help of the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) and Emergency Management Services (EMS), has managed to engage and educate the community, drivers in particular, on JRA’s activities.

Scheepers said the agency had succeeded in reaching out to communities and raising awareness of road safety and the protection of the City’s infrastructure against vandalism and theft.

“We targeted the malls to reach out to as many people as possible and drive the message home. We’re very happy with the outcomes and response of the residents, which was very positive. JRA will continue with the campaign beyond Transport Month and plans to make it bigger and better going forward.

“We’ve also listened to the concerns of the people and have noted them with the hope that this will help us improve where we’re lacking,” she said.

She said the City’s Transport Department would extend the safety campaign to schools.

Residents commended the City’s entities for engaging them during the campaign. They emphasised the importance of talking to them rather than talking about them on the importance of road safety and protecting the City’s infrastructure.

Palesa Moloi of Rockville, Soweto, said it was heartening to see JRA and JMPD officials engaging residents, motorists and taxi drivers.

Sipho Makama, a Soweto taxi driver, said it was important to be educated on road safety and the implications of destroying infrastructure as this would help in improving the relationship between the City and the community.

Zanele Mdluli, a street vendor, said JRA needed to be commended for the initiative but said this should not be a once-off campaign as most people would soon forget about it.

Road users are urged to contact JRA at (011) 375-5911, email@  protect@jra.org.za" data-mce-href="mailto: protect@jra.org.za"> protect@jra.org.za, Twitter@MyJRA" data-mce-href="mailto:Twitter@MyJRA">Twitter@MyJRA>, Facebook at Johannesburg Road Agency.