Following mounting concerns from Somerset West residents regarding heavy trucks bypassing the N2 weighbridge and using Main Road as an alternative route, the City of Cape Town’s Traffic Services, in collaboration with provincial traffic officers, conducted a significant enforcement operation on Wednesday 9 and Thursday 10 April.
The operation was a direct response to numerous complaints, according to local resident Johann Jooste, who has been quite emphatic, detailing instances of dangerous driving by truck drivers and the rapid deterioration of the recently resurfaced Main Road between Old Main Road, Firgrove and the R44, Broadway Boulevard (“Trucking dangers irk residents”, DistrictMail & Helderberg Gazette, 26 March).
Jooste’s previous warnings, in 2022, about the potential for this following the road’s resurfacing, along with requests for prohibitive signage, underscore a long-standing problem.
Last Thursday residents observed a visible Traffic Services presence, with trucks attempting to bypass the weighbridge pulled over and redirected.
Maxine Bezuidenhout, spokesperson for City Traffic Services, confirmed the operation: “The City’s Traffic Service can confirm the enforcement operation between City’s Traffic Service and provincial traffic officers on overload trucks in the Somerset West area.”
The operation yielded significant results, with 512 trucks stopped. Of these, 182 trucks were screened using mobile mats and 330 were directed to the weighbridge. Shockingly, 20 trucks were found to be overloaded, resulting in the issuing of fines valued at R30 400.
Two drivers were arrested for overloading and detained at the Somerset West Police Station, and three trucks were suspended. Authorities also issued 64 Section 56 notices for driver and vehicle fitness.
Bezuidenhout acknowledged the positive reception from residents. To ensure the issue was consistently tackled she announced that Traffic Services will conduct monthly follow-up operations.
While reassuring residents of their commitment, Bezuidenhout also cautioned about the limitations of constant visibility. “Traffic Services plans to have regular enforcement operations based on the availability of staff and resources. Given the number of vehicles on the roads, the size of the metropole and the many demands on our services, it is simply not possible to be visible everywhere, all of the time.”
