In the early hours of Saturday 1 May at the Engen 1Stop on the N1 outbound, the Directorate: Road Safety Management of the Department of Transport and Public Works embarked on one of its first dedicated motorcycle road safety awareness campaigns in partnership with the Motorcycle Association of the Western Cape (MAWC).
The aims of the intervention were to raise awareness about motorcycle road safety, and to encourage responsible and safe behaviour on the roads. While lane-splitting and lane-shifting is not illegal, it must be done in a safe way.
The intervention included a road safety exhibition, and sharing of road safety information on posters displayed by bikers and Road Safety Management staff at the exit of the garage / N1 on ramp.
Motorists and freight drivers were encouraged to move away from the idea that motorcycle riders are reckless and to accept the idea that we must all share the roads equally.
“We would like to thank everyone who participated in this intervention – this opportunity is appreciated. As we moved to Level 3 of the National State of Disaster last year, we noticed a spike in motorcycle crash fatalities. We decided that we would also focus on motorcycle road safety interventions in the 2021/22 financial year. The Directorate wants to encourage sharing of our roads by both motorcyclists and motorists, hoping that these interventions will have a beneficial impact on all our road users”, said Nina September, Acting Director: Road Safety Awareness.
“It was great opportunity for MAWC to be part of this intervention and to share this platform with Road Safety Management. We sensitised road users about the daily dangers that motorcyclists face”, said Marco Worship of MAWC. “Interventions like these enable motorists and other road users to change how they view motorcyclists on the road. We hope that this is the start of more motorcycle road safety interventions.” he added.