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Past Issues

June 2005

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It's been said over and over in the pages of FleetWatch that the road transport industry is the real 'backbone' of the South African economy and we all know that as far as 'backbones' go, it ain't perfect. 'Vertebrae' (bear with me on this analogy for a moment, please) are in fierce competition with one another and the 'spinal fluid' that keeps this 'backbone' moving often suffers leaks and contamination, not to mention price increases. To make matters tougher, the actual 'body' this backbone serves puts measures in place to keep the 'vertebrae' strictly in line - the 'head' comes with new laws, restrictions and tariffs; and occasionally the 'heart' jumps in, with protests and contempt for the very 'organ' that keeps it from collapsing into a heap. Now, it is when this 'heart' rises up against trucks that FleetWatch really has a drama on its hands, writes Paul Collings.
 

Battlefield background
Five year's ago, FleetWatch editor Patrick O'Leary wrote an article describing a mounting truck traffic problem on the meandering KZN Midlands road, the R103. What was once a quiet country road boasting languid 'field and stream' leisure pursuits, B&Bs, cottage industries and jolly pubs, suddenly became an alternative route for heavy trucks travelling the N3.

The reason these trucks were hopping off the N3 and using the R103 was simply to avoid paying the toll fee at the Mooi River Toll Plaza. Today, the toll tariff stands at R106 .00 for vehicles over 5 tons. More and more trucks (around 140 per day!) are using the alternative route, jeopardising not only the road paving of the R103 but the lives, livelihoods and lifestyles of the communities that live alongside it.

The residents of the three small towns of Mooi River, Rosetta and Nottingham Road told O'Leary of the mayhem plaguing their lives ever since the toll tariffs were increased. They spoke of head-on collisions, sideswipes, pedestrian near misses, toxic spills and even deaths, all a direct result of heavy articulated vehicles using a secondary road built 60 years ago - one that is totally unsuitable for the passage of 22-metre, fully loaded superlinks.
 

The R103 is a single lane roadway with oncoming lanes mere 2.5-meters wide. It also sports several tight curves, narrow bridges and blind rises. Consider the average width of a heavy truck tractor and trailer (2.2m) and you're looking at not much tar left for safe manoeuvring. Tragically, despite local objection, the trucks continue to roll through the Midlands while the death toll mounts.

A call to arms
Despite years of lobbying for a ban on heavy trucks using the R103 as a thoroughfare/alternative route, the residents of the three towns have had their pleas go unanswered by the Department of Transport (DoT) and other authorities. Sick and tired of bureaucratic inertia, the locals of this prime tourism area (the Midlands Meander) have taken matters into their own hands. They have come together to form an action committee to drive trucks exploiting the R103 out of their villages. 

On June 7, 2005, at 06h00, the members of this committee began a protest in the form of two slow-rolling motorised cavalcades along the R103 between Mooi River and Nottingham Road. Farm tractors, bakkies and cars - all driven by locals - crawled along at a snail's pace the entire day bringing the usually fast-moving truck traffic to a crawl (an infuriating situation for the truck drivers, judging by the air horn blasts delivered as the trucks rolled past the protesters' base station in Nottingham Road). 

Heading up the action committee is Moira Grueneberg, a resident of Nottingham Road, a farmer's wife and a Democratic Alliance councillor. Grueneberg has spearheaded the campaign to rid the R103 of heavy trucks for the last five years. She says: "A ban needs to be placed on trucks over ten tons from using the R103, except for local delivery vehicles. This is a wet and misty part of the country and the road simply can't safely accommodate an interlink truck. We all live in fear of collisions with big trucks and try and avoid driving the R103 whenever possible." 
 

The Department of Transport has responded by saying: "It is the constitutional right of truckers to use whatever route they choose." Also: "The R103 is quite safe for interlinks." For Grueneberg and her compatriots, this is "an insult to anyone of average intelligence". She explains that when DoT officials were invited to drive the R103 to witness the life threatening set of circumstances both motorists and pedestrians have to endure on a daily basis, the officials chose to avoid the dangerous stretch of road and return to Pietermaritzburg "the safe way".

Part of the ongoing action campaign over the years has been the recording of truck registration numbers and the names of the operators by the residents, who have contacted the fleet owners. Grueneberg states that surprisingly, the majority of operators were shocked to hear that their drivers were not complying with instructions to remain on the N3 and were clearly pocketing the toll fees.

She adds that while many fleet operators appreciated the community's assistance in informing them of their wayward drivers' behaviour, there are a few bad apples dangling from the upper branches of the truck transport tree. "Many of the current defaulters are employed by fly-by-night owners whose vehicles are generally unroadworthy and overloaded and therefore avoid the N3 where the Road Traffic Inspectorate (RTI) is ever present."

Hands tied
While the cavalcades inched their way between Nottingham Road and Mooi River, the law enforcers of the area arrived but amazingly, had nothing to say or do. They simply sat in their vehicles and watched while local protest leaders directed traffic to allow the cavalcades to conduct about-turns. One RTI official, when asked if he was on the scene to monitor the protest, responded by asking: "What protest?"

According to Grueneberg, the plan to block the road was kept hush-hush for maximum effect, i.e. to make sure as many interloping trucks as possible were thwarted. The traffic officials, with no mandate to oversee proceedings, could do nothing to assist or prevent what was playing out before them.

As the day progressed, it became evident that the protesters were indeed making an impact. A truck overturned on the N3 forcing the N3TC to divert motorists (but not trucks, which had to sit and wait for the highway to clear) via the R103. Co-organiser of the protest, Sean Wakeford (who owns a splendid pub called Bierfassl in Nottingham Road) says: "This was a bit of good fortune. The more people we can make aware of our battle, the better." Motorists slowed by the protesters were soon enlightened as to the reason for their funereal pace. Banners and posters, mostly crafted by local school kids, lined the roadside stating in no uncertain terms - "We want a truck-free R103!"

For the law enforcers, something obviously had to be done to get traffic moving normally. John Schnell of the RTI was called on the phone. He was not amused, denouncing the protest as a "juvenile exercise". Wakeford responded by asking if the families of the victims of R103 accidents found the protest juvenile. Eventually, the local SAPS branch stepped in and declared the protest "an illegal gathering" but sympathised with its cause and offered to assist in future demonstrations if proper organisational procedures were adhered to. 
 

The meandering R103 has become a  trucker’s highway  Proteus Sokhela (above) is head master of Nottingham Road Combined School. "My worry is that despite meetings with the traffic officials to tell them of the safety problem, they only come and police the road here for a short while and then they leave. Kids riding bicycles are especially in danger of being run over by trucks."

Slippery when wet. Container rigs are but a few of the culprits eating away at the road surface. ANC councillor (ex-DA) for Mooi River, Hayden Soobramoney, has been lobbying for a truck-free R103 for over five years. Even a political insider has problems heard, it seems.

Can the situation be resolved?
It is obvious that a total ban on trucks using the R103 is out of the question. Farmers need lorries, as do local shopkeepers. However, trucks using the road as an alternative to the toll road should be redirected to the N3. The DoT has implemented restrictions on heavy vehicles in other parts of the country where they jeopardise road safety (Blaaukranz Pass, Polokwane, Machadadorp and Fields Hill) and should promptly do the same for the R103. Fleet operators should also take the situation to heart and monitor their drivers more closely (where's that tracking unit, boss?) and discipline where necessary. 

Tom X, a local dairy farmer says: "Many of the offending trucks are from north of our borders. Why not get them to pay an up-front toll fee on entering the country? It's a case of 'either you pay for all toll booths now or turn around'. Also, get insurance companies to discount premiums on trucks that only use toll roads and load premiums on long haul trucks that use alternative secondary roads." Now there's a bit of country wisdom! 

Tight fit. The cavalcade passes an interloping truck that is practically on the pavement to avoid taking out a passing vehicle. Nice one driver, but what if there were pedestrians on the road?

Ultimately, the residents of the Midlands Meander have a battle on their hands and they need to continue to lobby, not just for DoT legislation (the RTA gives the MEC the power to restrict heavy vehicles using certain roads), but other government departments that have a vested interest in the well-being of the region. These include the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism and the Department of Labour. The Midlands Meander is a magical place, one that draws tourists from around the globe. These tourists keep people in the Midlands gainfully employed. If heavy commercial vehicles keep pounding down the R103, the tourists will stop coming and the charm of the area will soon be lost, as will more lives and livelihoods. Can any South African really afford to let that happen?
 

Historic buildings like the railway platform and the Nottingham Hotel, both built in the late 19th century are rare tourist attractions. Mahatma Ghandi experienced his infamous expulsion from a train at this very station and immediately went to the hotel to cool off. This history is being threatened by trucks passing through like juggernauts.