20 July 2007

By Clifford Mogotsi

IF there's a sudden bright flash while you're driving along the R28, one of Mogale City's busiest routes, it's not lightning or a candid camera. It means you've been bust for breaking the rules of the roads.

The sharp eye of the digital speed law enforcement system, in the form of three mobile cameras, has been launched by Labat Traffic Solutions (LTS), after a three-year partnership was signed between the municipality and the company. Traffic officers attended the launch held at the Cedar Country Guest Lodge, to learn more about the advanced cameras, their latest crime-fighting tool.

While only three cameras may seem too few to handle the crazy traffic in the city, in two weeks about 15 000 perpetrators have been caught speeding and driving through stop signs and red traffic lights.

Brian van Rooyen, the chairman of LTS, said the pioneering electronic traffic law enforcement solution involved mass film processing, automatic image scanning and digitizing, automatic number plate recognition, and advanced data base management.

"Law enforcement should not be seen as a money-making scheme," he added. The cost of researching how such advanced technology could be brought to Mogale City was high, because "we do not only want to stick cameras in but to involve law enforcement within local authority".

The cameras operate along the R28, Robert Broom and Voortrekker roads. However, they can only be used where there is speed limit and camera signage, and their use on a particular road must be approved by the prosecution office.

Peace Mabe, the portfolio head of public safety, said the new technology meant that traffic officers should get to work. "We thank Labat for partnering with us; for our traffic officers this means that you need to roll up your sleeves and start to work."

Shaheed Mohamed, the chief executive of LTS, agreed, saying his company considered the partnership as another mechanism to push service delivery by the council. "The partnership between us and the municipality is to ensure that deliverables are made, and the emphasis is on law enforcers."

LTS, a technology company, supplies electronic traffic enforcement solutions to four of the six metropolitan municipalities in South Africa, in addition to seven other municipalities.

It also provides back-office help – known to traffic officers as a tracking section – where the cameras' downloads are kept. An expert in back-office operations, Kobus Taljaard, said it captured all offences and reminded offenders of their illegal deeds.

"This is the section where we also alert the public of their traffic violations [using] letters or preferably by SMS."

Speaking about the culture of non-payment of traffic fines, Taljaard said that one of the problems was the lack of convenient paypoints and proper law enforcement processes.

During the launch, speaker after speaker warned motorists to respect the rules of the road.

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