By Tabisa Mntengwana
June 25, 2009

TRAFFIC services have a new fleet of 12 to replace the old cars the City’s traffic law enforcers have been using for the past decade.

The new Mitsubishi Lancers cost about R2-million; they were added to the fleet for two main reasons. “One is that they have sufficient power and secondly two are unmarked vehicles that are fitted with video cameras that will enable them to capture moving violations,” explained the portfolio head for health and public safety, John Badenhorst.

“The vehicles will also help with vehicles failing to stop at stop signs and driving past a red traffic light.”

Vuyani Lwana, the director of health and safety, said the new fleet would ensure that officials were able to do a better job. The department would ensure the vehicles were maintained and in good condition at all times.

“The vehicles will be checked regularly by senior officials in order to ensure that they are ready for the next day.”

The old cars had been in use since 1998, and as vehicles got older the municipality replaced them with new ones, “which have to meet the demands of the working conditions under which they will be used”, said the traffic and law enforcement commander, Berny Martin.

He explained that one of the unmarked vehicles would be used in East London and the other in King William’s Town.

Five of the marked cars would be based in East London, with two of them going to the law enforcement section, and five would be in King William’s Town.

Martin urged officials to take care of the new fleet. “These are their offices and they must be kept clean and treated properly everyday.”

Lwana added: “To keep the vehicles in good condition, the seats will have covers.”

The new fleet is replacing the 1998 Mazda 323s. The Lancers have 114 kilowatt, two-litre engines. “These cars are fast and they will be very effective because we need fast cars to keep up with the fast cars that people are driving these days,” said Martin.

Badenhorst added that the new vehicles would motivate traffic officers to excel in fighting crime and enforcing laws.

Martin also mentioned that the traffic department would fit vehicle tracking systems to three of the old marked cars.