The Road Traffic Infringement Agency (RTIA) has denied reports that it suggested the amounts of traffic fines be doubled in an effort to save the troubled Aarto system.
Media reports claim the RTIA suggested this in a report to new transport minister Dipuo Peters. The RTIA says it has no knowledge of a report presented to Peters.
"The minister of transport is the executive who makes policy decisions relating to road traffic matters within the country," says the RTIA in response to ITWeb's query. "As far as the RTIA is aware, the minister has not made any policy determination regarding the increment and/or doubling of traffic fines. As indicated, the RTIA is not responsible for policy matters, but implementation."
The report allegedly shows the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) spent R60 million since December to send out 2.4 million Aarto fines by registered post. Supposedly less than 5% of the fines have been paid.
Media reports once again claim these fines have now expired, because RTIA did not have the funds to administrate them any further. According to the existing Aarto Act, the RTIA is required to serve infringement notices by registered mail. After 32 days, a courtesy letter is sent also by registered mail, where after an enforcement order will be issued if the infringer has still not paid the fine.
National chairman of the Justice Project SA (JPSA) Howard Dembovsky has commented on similar reports in the past, calling them "grossly incorrect". Dembovsky says even if the prescribed processes laid down in the Aarto Act have not been followed, fines are still very much valid as they were sent by registered mail as required by the Act.
Still no solution
Doubling the amount of fines will do nothing to address RTIA's financial woes, says Dembovsky. "Even if they double the fines, JMPD still doesn't have the R8 million a month they reportedly need to send out those fines. I don't think [this solution] is going to assist them in the least."
He also notes if the reports claiming that only 5% of traffic fines get paid are correct, doubling the amounts of the fines will not assist in solving the financial problems.
Dembovsky further says the motivation to double the amounts for traffic fines could be misdirected. "Are traffic fines to make money or are traffic fines to punish someone for committing a traffic offence? If [the suggestion to double traffic fines] is to finance yourself, you are coming from the wrong motivation entirely."
Freedom Front Plus parliamentary spokesperson for transport Anton Alberts has called on the government to scrap the Aarto system. "It is totally unacceptable to threaten the public with increased traffic fines in an attempt to rescue the failed Aarto system.
"Aarto could contribute to the establishment of safer roads if it is properly funded and managed, but it has virtually collapsed and it cannot be expected of motorists in mainly Johannesburg and Pretoria, to pay for the failure. The government has proven with this that it is not capable of operating a sophisticated system of this nature. The higher fines, together with the intended e-toll system, will have a negative impact on the economy in the region and is extremely unreasonable."
Democratic Alliance shadow minister for transport Ian Ollis says increasing traffic fines is no way to solve Aarto's problems. "The Aarto Act is not working properly," says Ollis. "We need to have the Act withdrawn and rewritten by transportation and traffic policing experts, and reintroduced in a way that will work."
Ollis says the Aarto Act has been proven in both Johannesburg and Tshwane to be a dysfunctional system that is implemented and managed badly. "You can't fix a broken piece of legislation just by increasing the fines. You are still going to have the same problems."
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