The Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) has added the World Cup to its list of reasons for delaying the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (Aarto) Act.
Together with the Department of Transport (DOT) the RTMC has postponed the implementation of the Act and says an exact date for rollout will be revealed soon.
In a statement, the corporation cited the need for effective implementation as its primary reason for repealing the initial 2010 deadline. This need could not be met because the department “recognised the critical role played by law enforcement officers and their commitment towards effective traffic control during the Fifa World Cup, which prohibited preparations for Aarto”.
Democratic Alliance shadow minister of transport Stuart Farrow said Aarto is a very good system to try and control the behaviour of drivers and it has got to happen, but it has to happen in a way that will work, so the delay is better for now.
Impending rollout
In response to a Parliamentary question, transport minister Sibusiso Ndebele said the allocation of demerit points to infringers will be introduced on a national basis from 1 April 2011.
It was originally set for rollout by the metropolitan authorities of Ekurhuleni, eThekwini, Nelson Mandela Bay and the City of Cape Town on 1 July 2010, and was planned to roll out countrywide on 1 November 2010, according to the RTMC.
“Recognising that additional time is required to address the outstanding challenges, we vow to ensure that the Aarto is implemented successfully in this financial year, ending 31 March 2011,” said the RTMC.
Pilot problems
“This postponement should not be read as a deviation from the commitment by the Minister, the Department of Transport and the RTMC towards the achievements of the goals to promote road safety,” said the corporation.
It added that the pilot systems set up in Tshwane and Johannesburg helped identify issues that needed attention before implementation of the project.
One issue was that the general public needed to be better informed and educated about Aarto so they fully understand their rights, duties and obligations in the process. “To that effect, we have embarked on a communication campaign that you would have noticed in various media over the past two months,” said the RTMC.
Other problematic aspects, according to Ndebele, include operational issues relating to the performance of officers, such as the accurate completion of the handwritten infringement notices and adherence to the strict timeframes for the service of documents.
The corporation cited the role of the Road Traffic Infringement Agency as an adjudicating entity for road traffic infringements as another factor that needed attention.
Electronic issues
The RTMC added that the different role-players who will be operating the systems need to be trained and systems performance issues need to be dealt with. These system flaws relate to the electronic uploading of infringement information, and the online, real-time updating of transactions onto the National Contraventions Register.
“Currently, there are different systems in use and the movement to the full utilisation of eNatis needs to be facilitated,” said the RTMC.
Farrow said the eNatis system has been a failure in the pilot projects so far, and since Aarto depends on this for recording of points and other functions, it has been a major reason for the delay.
“Offences that were picked up were not properly recorded. It just looked like there are a lot of people that shouldn't be on the road. It was deducting points for everything, like for something like parking. We need to separate what the offences are.”
The skewed balance of law enforcement statistics is also a problem where there is a high percentage of electronically generated camera notices and a low percentage of visible policing that emphasises comprehensive law enforcement such as vehicle roadworthiness, driver fitness and moving violations, according to Ndebele.
Losing points
When the Aarto demerit point system is implemented, the demerits will reflect against the driving licences of infringing motorists on the National Contravention Register on eNatis.
The RTMC announced it would spend over R300 million on IT and marketing for the new demerit system for motorists.
“The Department of Transport has adopted a zero tolerance stance when it comes to fraud, corruption and mismanagement. We remain committed to the reform and tightening of the regulatory regime,” said Ndebele.
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