The Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (Aarto) Act will not be implemented by 1 April, as previously stated by the Department of Transport (DOT), even though the technology is ready.
Transport minister Sibusiso Ndebele responded to a parliamentary question in June last year, saying the Act was in the process of being rolled out in a staggered approach and the system would be introduced on a national basis from 1 April 2011.
DOT spokesperson Logan Maistry now says the minister was planning a roll out for the end of this financial year, but has not confirmed a date.
“The plan is to ensure that Aarto is rolled out in the new financial year, but there is no exact date. The minister will make that announcement in advance, but there is no definite date yet.”
Aarto will see the allocation of demerit points to traffic law infringers. Pilot projects are currently being run in the municipalities of Tshwane and Johannesburg.
Technically ready
Aarto manager, the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC), previously said it “vows to ensure that Aarto is implemented successfully in this financial year, ending 31 March 2011”.
Implementation was originally set for the metropolitan authorities of Ekurhuleni, eThekwini, Nelson Mandela Bay and the City of Cape Town, on 1 July last year, and on 1 November countrywide.
The RTMC explains that the delays occurred due to the need to ensure effective implementation.
Executive manager for Aarto at the RTMC Basil Nkhwashu says issues identified in the pilot projects have been dealt with.
“The minister said Aarto will be implemented at the end of the financial year and now we are waiting for him. We are ready to implement it. From the RTMC side we are ready.”
Pilot failure
Maistry explains that Ndebele wants the technical team to brief him on the matters that were raised by the pilot project municipalities so that there are no more “stops and starts” and the system can be rolled out smoothly.
Some of the issues identified in the pilot projects were the need for stronger communication and education of the public; the system's performance issues related to the electronic uploading of infringement information onto the National Contraventions Register; the movement to full utilisation of eNatis, instead of using different systems; and training of role-players in the use of the systems.
At the Transport Lekgotla last month, Ndebele said putting the RTMC in order is one of the urgent tasks facing the transport sector.
“Simultaneously, the Aarto Act was passed 12 years ago. Its implementation has seen too many confusing starts and stops, which have been very confusing to the public.”
He added that to ensure proper coordination at national level, the department will deploy some of its senior officials to ensure it expedites the establishment of structures and processes for the management of the Aarto process.
Not for everyone
Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) said it supports measures that will end the carnage on roads by punishing offenders and ending the culture of impunity.
“Workers should, however, not be punished for the non-roadworthiness of the vehicles that do not belong to them. The demerits system must punish owners and not workers.”
The South African Transport and Allied Workers' Union (Satawu) appealed for support for its campaign against Aarto, especially its impact on truck, bus and taxi drivers who face the possibility of losing their licences and therefore their jobs under the provisions of the demerit system.
It explains that many employers impose time limits for journeys, which can only be met by speeding.
More than 20 000 taxi drivers, including 40 taxi associations, marched in protest against the Act in November.
Justice Project SA noted that Aarto would have disastrous consequences for business since it is not only taxi drivers that would be affected, but also professional drivers, including those driving heavy load transport vehicles that keep the economy moving in the absence of a working rail freight system.
"This could see vehicles for which there are fully-licensed drivers waiting to drive them, being suspended from operation, not necessarily because they are unroadworthy, but because they manage to toll up demerit points that affect operators, thus preventing the drivers from earning a living.”
Life saver?
With the Aarto system, drivers lose points when they commit traffic offences and this will be reflected on the National Contravention Register on eNatis.
All drivers have 12 points to start with, and lose a certain amount of them depending on the severity of the offence. This could eventually lead to the suspension of one's licence. However, points can also be earned through good behaviour.
Aarto manager, the Road Traffic Management Corporation, previously said it would spend over R300 million on IT and marketing for the demerit system.
Taxi drivers protest against Aarto
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