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| Reflective
tape! What's that? Come in E.A.5. You're breaking the law. Oh yes - and so is that trailer you've got behind you. This truck looks good but it does not comply with the law. |
Every vehicle operating in South Africa must comply with the laws as stipulated in the Road Traffic Act. It seems, however, that this simple truth has escaped the Airports Company of South Africa whose vehicles - judging by what our correspondent
Dave Scott saw on the apron at Johannesburg International - operate in a world of their own. ACSA needs to come up to scratch.
It's Sunday at 17h30 and 'the weather' is bucketing down on apron traffic at Johannesburg International as I sit in seat 10F on Flight CE 434 on my way to Durban. This is a good seat for viewing airport activity - it looks onto the apron corner of the domestic terminal near Exit D1 from where I walked onto Flight CE 434. From my seat, I see a continuous flow of ground traffic of all descriptions operating in the pouring rain and I am appalled. In terms of roadworthiness and safety, the airport aprons of the Airports Company of South Africa (ACSA) are no different to our freeways.
How can I justify this statement? Perception, combined here with hard facts, is reality. Vehicle lights should be the first observable things in bad weather conditions but this is what I see at Johannesburg International:
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There is obviously no standard for ground traffic when to switch on vehicle lights. Some are conscious of being seen, others think they can be seen and most obviously don't care.
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Many tail-lights do not function. A number of vehicles have one headlamp operating and many are out of focus with some pointing in the air.
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Rotating cab beacons seem to be an ornamental option - many vehicles have one but few operate. There's also no standard for rotating beacon type - some are intense white while others are yellow and most don't do anything.
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The little tractor trains pulling luggage vans were most inconspicuous - perhaps they should not be seen because they are ugly and small. "Hulle ry net soos donker wurms tussen die verkeer," observed my fellow passenger in 10E.
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Clear, clean tail-lamps are essential in poor weather but most tail lights I saw on the airport vehicles glowed weakly due to the lenses not being cleaned.
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Reflective tape - what's that? Airport vehicles should be the most visible. Is it because ACSA is either negligent or ignorant that these vehicles do not stand out in poor weather? Surely reflective tape should be a standard on all vehicles, including bakkies, operating on airport aprons? Is ACSA aware that all trailers are required to be equipped with reflective tape, including any vehicle over 6m long.
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There's obviously no safety standards, policing or enforcement.
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This does not differ from our chaotic freeways where you can travel at night and observe all these contributors to road deaths and injuries.
There's a dangerous assumption at work here, namely, that someone thinks aviation law is responsible for controlling airport vehicle roadworthiness while ACSA may be thinking that the Kempton Park Municipality should be policing the situation. The result is that no-one does anything.
The fact is that every vehicle on the airport apron, including forklift trucks, must be registered and licensed in terms of the Road Traffic Act. This is not a forest, a construction site or a mine situated far from the public eye at some remote place called 'Gatkantlaagte'. It is our national first port of call with an international image at stake. A visitor's first look at the 'home we South Africans live in' should create a favourable impression; one that says we care about your safety. At the moment, it does not do that.
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The safety consciousness of aviators and airlines should be extended to the herds of vehicles operating on the airport apron. |
| Note the scrappy paintwork and the angle of lie of that front 'landing leg' on the right compared to its upright left one. Danger ahead! |
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Ouch! This 'Schopf' has taken some serious knocks. Apart from looking like belonging on the scrap heap, the right reflector stayed on permanently indicating a fault which would solicit a fine on the freeway. |
| Non compliance reigns supreme on the apron at Johannesburg International Airport. No reflective tape on any vehicles. Wonder if the lights work on these ones? |
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A shining example from the mining community
My recent experience of the mining community shows that their willingness to try control ground traffic on their premises results in heightened overall safety and extends a 'safety culture' into every aspect of the operation.
In fact, the premier accolade for the furtherance of road safety in South Africa, the Evert van Niekerk Road Safety Achievement of the Year Award, presented annually by the South African Motoring Journalists' Committee for Active Road Safety (CARS), has been awarded in the past to Ingwe Collieries' Middleburg Mine Services. As a matter of interest, the mine shared it jointly that year with the Quadriplegic Association of SA who introduced an innovative prevention strategy around the theme of 'We Don't Want New Members'.
In presenting the award, the chairman of CARS, Ian Auret, praised the two institutions for making a significant contribution towards safety at a time when road safety generally had taken a retrogressive step. "They did pioneering work in changing the mindset of road users and it is to be hoped that similar initiatives will spread throughout the country and assist to curb the daily carnage on our roads," he said.
Middelburg Mine Services took the initiative in establishing a 'Road Safety Cell of Excellence' in a 60 km radius around the mine. They involved the community in determining dangerous and high accident areas within that cell and enlisting the support and participation of the local government, provincial traffic authorities, other industries in the area and the Arrive Alive campaign. These sterling efforts resulted in no fatalities or serious road incidents in the 'Cell of Excellence' during the 2002/2003 festive period.
Perhaps an independently established mine safety audit team could assist ACSA in their quest to improve the control and safety of their apron traffic. This would get things going - just imagine ACSA officials being subjected to audits from people wearing yellow hard hats and steel-capped boots.
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| A large
variety of vehicles service the aircraft. They all need to be legal but based on our observations, few are. Also, policies and procedures seem to be lacking. Whoever is accountable for this needs to be brought up to speed on the Road Traffic Act.. |
First impression is the lasting one
I know that aviators and airlines are extremely safety-conscious. How then do they allow this apparently unroadworthy traffic herd near their multi-million rand aircraft fleets? The Ingwe Collieries model is really worth copying. ACSA should set up a 'Road Safety Cell of Excellence' that includes the Kempton Park municipality. Visitors should be amazed, not appalled, and ACSA should aim to receive the CARS Evert van Niekerk Road Safety Achievement of the Year Award.
Someone must be held accountable for the apparent disrespect for road safety on the apron at Johannesburg International - and let it be tackled well before 2010 when we will be subjected to world scrutiny. I make extensive use of this airport and would love to applaud it. Right now, however, all I can say is: 'Ag shame, ACSA!'
