safely home enforcement activities - western cape · safely home enforcement activities evaluation...
TRANSCRIPT
Safely Home Enforcement Activities
Evaluation Report
Final Version
1 July 2014
5th Floor, Imperial Terraces
Carl Cronje Drive
Tyger Waterfront
Bellville, 7530
(021) 914 6211 (T)
(021) 914 7403 (F)
e-mail: [email protected]
i
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
Summary Sheet
Report Type Evaluation Report
Title Provision of Professional Services to Conduct an Evaluation of Safely Home
Enforcement Activities
Location Beaufort West
Client Performance Monitoring and Evaluation
Brendon Cloete
Reference Number ITS 3347
Project Team
Christoff Krogscheepers, Pr.Eng
Zaida Tofie
Stephen van der Sluys
Contact Details Tel: 021 914 6211
Date 1 July 2014
Report Status Draft Report
File Name G:\3347 Safely Home Enforcement Activities\12 Reports\3347 Safely Home Enforcement Evaluation Report _ZT_2014-05-06 draft v2
ii
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
PROJECT TEAM CONTACT DETAILS
Company Contact Email
Western Cape Government: Monitoring and Evaluation
Brendon Cloete [email protected]
Western Cape Government: Monitoring and Evaluation
Ramesh Maharaj [email protected]
Western Cape Government: Programme 5 Transport Regulation, Safely Home Project
Kevin October [email protected]
Western Cape Government: Community Safety
Donald Lackay [email protected]
ITS Engineers
Christoff Krogscheepers
Zaida Tofie
Stephen vd Sluys
Jan Coetzee
Stellenbosch University Marion Sinclair [email protected]
iii
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
DOCUMENT CONTROL
Date Report Status Authored by Approved by
May 2014 1st Draft
NAME:
Zaida Tofie
NAME:
Christoff Krogscheepers
July 2014 2nd Draft (final)
NAME:
Zaida Tofie
NAME:
Christoff Krogscheepers
ii
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
POLICY IMPLICATIONS
The strategic directive approved by cabinet in July 2010 provides the framework for the provincial
road safety policy.
Objective: “Provincial Strategic Objective 3: Moving the Western Cape Forward – Increasing
access to safe and efficient transport
Goal: Reducing fatalities by 50 percent by 2014
Plan: Enforce compliance of road traffic laws through visible and smart means to create the
perception of omni-presence of enforcement authorities (Plan 1).
Current Policy: Implement smart technology to improve road safety and to support visible
enforcement.
Project Initiation Documents (PID’s): Implementation of ASOD
Study Outcomes:
Validity of the evaluation findings and significance of the possible road safety impacts introduced by
the implementation of ASOD. The following constraints limits the robustness and rigour of the
findings:
The availability and accuracy of accident data prior to the implementation of ASOD
The availability of speed data and specifically average speed data prior to the
implementation of ASOD
The limited time period since the implementation of ASOD affecting the sample size of
speed and accident data post implementation
The statistical reliability of comparing the base indicators of the study area with the control
sites.
Despite the above shortcomings of the data on which the study is based, there are positive
outcomes/trends which could indicate at this point in time that:
Smart Enforcement appears to contribute to a positive behavioural change, i.e. less
overloading and better adherence to speed limits. This change is confirmed by many other
international studies.
Visible Policing seemingly enhances the effectiveness of Smart Enforcement.
Hence, based on the above the following policy recommendations:
Continue with the roll-out of smart enforcement, specifically ASOD and weighbridges.
Law enforcement resources, dedicated to and linked to the specific Smart Enforcement
programme are essential.
Although this study shows that ASOD is seemingly contributing towards the goal of significantly
reducing the number of fatal accidents, the constraints related to the availability and accuracy of the
data and also the duration of the post implementation period do not enable indisputable
conclusions.
iii
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
EXECUTIVE SUMMMARY
INTRODUCTION
The Safely Home Programme falls within the Western Cape Government’s Strategic Objective 3
and was designed to achieve a 50% reduction in road fatalities by 2014. Safely Home is focussed
within the traditional four E’s i.e. Enforcement, Engineering, Education and Evaluation. The scope
of this enforcement evaluation includes a review of enforcement interventions which the WCG has
implemented in the Beaufort West region as part of the Safely Home Programme. These include:
(1) visible enforcement such as roadblocks, patrols, etc., as well as, (2) smart enforcement
implementations, including Average Speed Over Distance (ASOD)/Automatic Number Plate
Recognition (ANPR), and weighbridge with weigh-in-motion.
The purpose of the enforcement evaluation is to: identify areas of good practice, identify gaps and
weaknesses to policy, procedures and processes; and to provide evidence and information to inform
decision-makers to optimise enforcement activities.
METHODOLOGY
The changes in the number of fatalities and speed profiles were used to evaluate the effectiveness
before and after the implementation of Safely Home enforcement.
An inception meeting was held with M&E to confirm the purpose of the study and its respective
deliverables. A site visit and a systematic review were undertaken to understand the current
operations and what type of data sources and existing documents were available for the evaluation.
The list of available data and their sources was ratified by the project steering committee. Data was
then reviewed, manipulated and analysed to identify trends or to see whether there were any
changes in enforcement and road safety indicators. Interviews with key Safely Home Enforcement
stakeholders were undertaken, and two peer review workshops were held as part of the project
process. The findings were summarised into the Enforcement Evaluation Report.
KEY EVALUATION FINDINGS
1) Visible Enforcement
All visible enforcement serves towards positively altering driver behaviour. Safer driver behaviour
e.g. wearing safety belts, not driving under the influence of alcohol, not speeding, or driving while
talking on a cell phone, and roadworthiness all contribute to the aim of reducing crashes.
Beaufort West Provincial Traffic Centre has generally been achieving their regional goals and
targets set for enforcement activities. Analysis of available data indicates a more-or-less consistent
effort in the level of visible enforcement. This is probably due to the fact that the level of human
resources at Beaufort West Provincial Traffic Centre has remained constant since 2012, and that
there are a number of vacancies, including the traffic chief’s position. The lack of manpower has
been identified as a key concern by most of the stakeholders interviewed and is believed to directly
impact the levels of visible enforcement possible.
The current method of data capturing, collection and storage is slow, inaccurate and ineffective,
making it problematic for analysis. Manual data is collected and compiled cumulatively from various
sources i.e. daily traffic officer reports & weighbridge, offering large margins for human error.
Records have only been stored electronically from 2012, making it difficult to compare levels of
enforcement activities prior to ASOD implementation. All data is not automatically stored
electronically and once it is sent to the Regional Office and the RTMC, it may be discarded since
iv
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
currently there is no protocol to keep and analyse visible enforcement data beyond tracking the
standard traffic targets.
Coordination with other local role-players such as SAPS, EMS as well as across border services is
taking place, which maximises enforcement visibility and integrates enforcement geographically.
There are well-defined protocols and procedures for specific types of enforcement activities such as
K78 roadblocks and vehicle patrols. The importance of awareness and educational campaigns as
part of shifting driver behaviour is largely accepted and is gradually being incorporated into standard
enforcement activities such as roadblocks and VCPs.
2) ASOD Related Enforcement
ASOD/ANPR Technology successfully flags speed and eNatis infringements, ensuring speed
enforcement over large sections rather than at single points, which is the case when using manual
cameras. This is more likely to shift driver behaviour than in the case of manual speed
enforcement, which creates responsive braking, and acceleration. Utilising JIS/control room
coordination and vehicle tracking to strategically deploy officers when responding to ASOD flags, is
potentially more effective than without this smart technology.
Volumes of "hits" flagged infringements by ASOD is too high for current staffing and officers to
manage. Additional ASOD phases generated additional hits but did not come with increased
number of staff to respond to infringements. Not all locations are covered due to lack of manpower.
Currently only one location just outside Beaufort West is being used to pull off vehicles flagged by
ASOD. The insufficiently trained staff manning the Control Room 24/7, with typically only one officer
in the control room at a time, is highly inadequate to undertake all tasks, including reporting,
deployment and following up on eNatis requests.
The Occurrence Book (OB) which is the official ASOD “body of evidence”, is currently a handwritten
manual process. This introduces human error and offers no capability to analyse the data
electronically. There is currently a confidentiality clause governing the use of eNatis data in the
ASOD enforcement system. This clause prohibits the control room from storing the total number of
infringements by vehicle type. Different speed limits apply to different vehicle types which makes it
difficult to accurately assess if there has been any change in the proportion of vehicles that exceed
the speed limit since ASOD has been implemented. Limited data is reported directly from the ASOD
system. Other reporting on enforcement from ASOD is undertaken by the control room but monthly
reports are captured into a form, which does not facilitate easy and continual analysis. No Standard
Operating Procedures (SOP) exist for the ASOD control room regarding prioritisation, deployment or
reporting protocols.
It is time- and resource-consuming to issue S56s, requiring the control room to send through eNatis
information, provide summons numbers and court dates. S341s are generated for speed only,
missing the chance of issuing other fines if not undertaken manually. S341s are not an effective
form of enforcement, as they are not issued when the offence occurs thereby do not immediately
alter driver behaviour. S341s do not have high payment rates, as a result of problems with locating
the offendees i.e. addresses are not up-to-date and the judicial system’s shortage of court dates
and lack of available resources to issue warrants.
Errors are generated when technology does not accurately read number plates. Large variations
shown between first and second camera volumes as well as when compared to existing CTO
stations. Loop counters installed at ASOD camera locations would enable WCG to track the
accuracy of ASOD equipment.
3) Weighbridge and Weigh-In-motion
v
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
WIM technology undertakes initial screening of possibly overloaded vehicles, greatly improving the
efficiency of the weighbridge since it no longer requires that all heavy vehicles be weighed. WIM
technology and signage allows for 24/7 operations. The safety of traffic officers has increased with
the advent of WIM since they are no longer required to manually direct vehicles into the
weighbridge. However, the 24/7 operating hours is resource intensive and the targets for operational
hours are currently not being met. .
There has been an increase in the number of heavy vehicles and buses being weighed, while the
number of overloaded vehicles has been decreasing. The initial WIM screening is currently directing
more vehicles into the weighbridge than are actually charged with overloading. The sensitivity on
the WIM screening could possibly be adjusted to reduce this margin of error.
Currently there is no method of recording the number and extent of heavy vehicles that are
disobeying the WIM signals. There are also no standard procedures on dealing with these
transgressors. Currently the transgressor is to be chased down and directed back to the
weighbridge, which is problematic since it is difficult to turn heavy vehicles on the freeway, and the
traffic officer on duty would typically be occupied with enforcement of the heavy vehicles at the
weighbridge. This could be solved with the installation of a camera at the WIM site, which would
support enforcement by issuing a S341. However, the size of this fine is smaller for this offence
than for overloading and heavy vehicles may still consciously disobey the WIM traffic signals.
There are a number of fines that can be issued at the weighbridge, which used to be issued at the
discretion of the traffic officer. Now, with access to eNatis via the JIS control room, all possible fines,
including RTQS enforcement such as roadworthy, stolen vehicles, etc., can be issued.
Reporting and record keeping protocols are not in place for consistent levels of data across the
province. Weighbridge data is only kept to report on traffic centre and regional weighbridge
operational hour targets. Data is not automatically analysed as part of a continuous improvement
programme. Software does however, allow for automated reporting.
Overweight public transport vehicles if impounded or discontinued create a challenge since
passenger facilities are not provided for at the weighbridge. This could impact actual levels of public
transport enforcement if traffic officers choose to limit the impact on passengers.
4) Key Indicators
Traffic Volumes and Speeds
The traffic volumes along ASOD-controlled roads have not been affected by the ASOD
implementation. The 60:40 traffic split between light and heavy vehicles travelling along the R61 has
also remained unchanged. There is no reason why the traffic volumes should be different after the
implementation of ASOD in 2011 since there are not really any reasonable alternative routes to R61
for vehicles trying to avoid the ASOD sections
It is evident that drivers have acknowledged the introduction of ASOD, as the cameras implemented
on the R61 made a drastic impact in reducing 85th percentile speeds. The non-ASOD control sites
on the N1 at Touwsrivier, R27 at Langebaan and N2 at Swellendam also show a reduction in 85th
percentile speeds; however, they have been in a steady decline since 2007. A similar trend is seen
with impact of the ASOD on average speeds. However, the ASOD impact to average speeds is not
as drastic as the 85th percentile speeds. This means that the ASOD cameras are considerably
effective in changing the behaviour of those vehicles travelling in excess of the speed limit.
The standard deviation in speeds post-ASOD is approximately half of what it was pre-ASOD,
meaning there is less variation in the range of speeds travelled. This is because vehicles are
vi
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
travelling at the same speed over a longer distance with less need for faster vehicles to overtake
slower ones.
It can be concluded that the ASOD has had a significant and positive effective on reducing the
number of vehicles travelling in excess of the speed limit.
Road Crashes
The four available data sources had numerous inconsistencies and discrepancies between them,
possibly due to the method of data capture, storage and management. It was thus decided to use
the most complete and workable data source when evaluating the road accident statistics – IPAS.
Within the last three years, there seems to have been a reduction in both the total number of road
crashes and fatal crashes along all five road segments analysed. This may indicate a positive shift
in the provincial mind-set about road safety. However, when focusing on the ASOD-controlled R61,
a dramatic decline in crash rates, fatal crash rates and fatality rates is observed. There has been a
downward trend with regards to fatalities and serious injuries since 2007. However, the introduction
of ASOD in 2011, 2012 and 2013 seems to have further facilitated this downward trend. There is not
enough post ASOD data available for the analysis of the road accidents within the road sections for
Phase 2 and Phase 3 of ASOD. At least three years of post-implementation data is needed to draw
conclusions.
In summary, it can be said that there has been positive change on the R61 with regards to the
number of fatal crashes, fatalities and serious injuries. This is likely due to the decrease in the
number of vehicles exceeding the speed limit.
CONCLUSIONS
There is evidence based on the results of this study that the visible and smart enforcement activities
in the Beaufort West study area as part of Safely Home are impacting on user and driver behaviour.
Smart technology such as ASOD and WIM screening simplify enforcement and makes it more
efficient. Not only has there been a decrease in vehicle speeds on the road segments along which
ASOD was implemented, but there has also been a decrease in the number of accidents,
specifically fatal accidents. This is particularly the case along the R61 where ASOD has been
implemented for the longest period. However, reductions in speeds and accidents are not only
experienced along the study sections, but are evident on roadways across the province. This could
be due to a general increase in safety awareness, which ultimately affects driver behaviour. It is
clear from the evaluation that there are possible actions that could improve the effectiveness of the
technology related enforcement activities.
vii
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PROJECT TEAM CONTACT DETAILS ............................................................................ II
DOCUMENT CONTROL ................................................................................................... III
POLICY IMPLICATIONS ..................................................................................................... II
EXECUTIVE SUMMMARY ................................................................................................. III
TABLE OF CONTENTS .................................................................................................. VII
LIST OF ANNEXURES, TABLES, FIGURES AND IMAGES ........................................... IX
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ............................................................................................. XII
1. INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................... 1
1.1 Background ................................................................................................................ 1
1.2 Overview .................................................................................................................... 2
1.3 Purpose of the Evaluation .......................................................................................... 3
1.4 Study Area ................................................................................................................. 3
1.5 Project Scope ............................................................................................................ 3
1.6 Report layout ............................................................................................................. 4
2. EVALUATION METHODOLOGY ................................................................................. 6
2.1 Confirmation of Scope ............................................................................................... 6
2.2 Collection and Analysis of Data ................................................................................. 6
2.3 Stakeholder Interviews............................................................................................... 6
2.4 Skills Transfer ............................................................................................................ 7
2.5 Peer Review .............................................................................................................. 7
3. EVALUATION OF VISIBLE ENFORCEMENT ACTIVITIES ......................................... 9
3.1 Overview of Visible Enforcement ............................................................................... 9
3.2 Available Data for Evaluation ................................................................................... 13
3.3 Organisational Structure of Provincial Traffic Law Enforcement .............................. 17
3.4 Performance Indicators and Targets for Visible Traffic Enforcement ....................... 18
3.5 Analysis of Visible Enforcement Activities ................................................................ 19
3.6 Summary Findings of Visible Enforcement Evaluation ............................................ 23
4. EVALUATION OF ASOD RELATED ENFORCEMENT ............................................. 25
4.1 Overview of ASOD ................................................................................................... 25
4.2 Available Data Sources Used to Evaluate ASOD .................................................... 29
4.3 Analysis of ASOD Enforcement Data ...................................................................... 32
4.4 Summary Findings on ASOD ................................................................................... 40
viii
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
5. EVALUATION OF WEIGHBRIDGE AND WEIGH-IN-MOTION .................................. 42
5.1 Overview of Weighbridge/WIM ................................................................................ 42
5.2 Weighbridge/WIM Data Available ............................................................................ 44
5.3 Weighbridge Data Analysis ...................................................................................... 45
5.4 Summary Findings on Weighbridge/WIM ................................................................. 49
6. EVALUATION OF KEY INDICATORS ....................................................................... 51
6.1 Traffic Volumes ........................................................................................................ 51
6.2 Speed ...................................................................................................................... 54
6.3 Road Accidents ........................................................................................................ 58
7. EVALUATION AND GENERAL TRENDS .................................................................. 64
7.1 Overall Reduction in Speed ..................................................................................... 64
7.2 Overall Reduction the Number of Accidents ............................................................ 65
7.3 Resource Levels have been Relatively Constant ..................................................... 66
7.4 Weighbridge is becoming more effective ................................................................. 68
7.5 Resources affect ASOD enforcement ...................................................................... 69
7.6 Possible reversal in positive shift in driver behaviour ............................................... 69
8. RECOMMENDATIONS ............................................................................................... 72
9. REFERENCES............................................................................................................ 75
ix
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
LIST OF ANNEXURES, TABLES, FIGURES AND IMAGES
LIST OF ANNEXURES
ANNEXURE A: Supporting Graphs for Data Analysis
LIST OF TABLES
Table 2-1: Overview of Data Collected as part of Safely Home Evaluation ...................................... 8
Table 3-1: Traffic Regions and Centres in the Western Cape ......................................................... 17
Table 3-2: Performance Indicators and Targets for Beaufort West Provincial Traffic Centre .......... 18
Table 4-1: Percentage of S56s Issued out of Total Speeding Infringements Flagged by ASOD ...... 34
Table 5-1: Format of Weighbridge Monthly Report ......................................................................... 44
Table 6-1: List of CTO Stations in Study Area ................................................................................ 51
Table 6-2: List of CTO Stations used as Non-ASOD Control Sites ................................................. 52
Table 6-3: Accident Data Source Comparison ............................................................................... 59
LIST OF PHOTO IMAGES
Photo Image 4-1: Gantry Mounted ASOD Equipment Traffic Signage ............................................ 25
Photo Image 4-2: ASOD software flagging traffic speed and eNatis infringements ......................... 27
Photo Image 4-3: Communication/ Intercom Software to Contact Traffic Officers in the Field ........ 28
Photo Image 4-4: Vehicle Tracking Software Locating Active Traffic Officers and EMS vehicles ... 28
Photo Image 5-1: Weigh-in-motion and road signage in Beaufort West ......................................... 42
Photo Image 5-2: Weighbridge, weigh-software showing weight on various axels and fine options 43
Photo Image 5-3: Vehicles are given an opportunity to correct their load before reweighing ........... 43
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1-1: Map of Beaufort West Study Area .................................................................................. 5
Figure 3-1: Example of RTMC Report - Recording visible enforcement activities undertaken by
Beaufort West Provincial Traffic ...................................................................................................... 15
Figure 3-2: Example of Quarterly Performance Reports Prepared by Beaufort West Traffic .......... 16
Figure 3-3: Organisational Structure of Beaufort West Traffic ........................................................ 18
Figure 3-4: Number of K78 Roadblocks held by BW Provincial Traffic ........................................... 19
Figure 3-5: Number of Vehicles Stopped by BW Provincial Traffic ................................................. 20
Figure 3-6: Drivers Tested for Alcohol by BW Provincial Traffic ..................................................... 20
x
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
Figure 3-7: Written Notices (S56s) Issued by BW Provincial Traffic ................................................ 21
Figure 3-8: Type of Written Notices (S56s) Issued by BW Provincial Traffic .................................. 22
Figure 3-9: Monthly Breakdown of ‘Moving Offence’ S56s issued by BW Provincial Traffic ............ 22
Figure 3-10: Arrests by BW Provincial Traffic .................................................................................. 23
Figure 4-1: Map of ASOD Phasing of ASOD Implementation in Study Area ................................... 26
Figure 4-2: TLE001 Form submitted by control room for ASOD enforcement activities .................. 31
Figure 4-3: The Number of Speed Infringements and eNatis Infringement Flagged by ASOD ........ 32
Figure 4-4: Type of eNatis Infringement Flagged by ASOD ............................................................ 33
Figure 4-5: Total ASOD Speed Infringements Flagged vs. Written Notices (S56s) Issued ............. 33
Figure 4-6: Total Number of Annual Written Notices (S56s) Issued by ASOD ................................ 34
Figure 4-7: Written Notices (S56s) from ASOD vs. from BW Provincial Traffic Centre .................... 35
Figure 4-8: Number of Written Notices (S56s) Issued by ASOD ..................................................... 35
Figure 4-9: Monthly Breakdown of the Types of Written Notices (S56s) Issued by ASOD ............... 36
Figure 4-10: Annual Breakdown of the Types of Written Notices (S56s) Issued by ASOD .............. 36
Figure 4-11: Percentage of Vehicles Exceeding Speed Limit on R61 (ASOD Phase 1) .................. 37
Figure 4-12: Minibus Taxis Exceeding the Speed Limit on R61 ..................................................... 38
Figure 4-13: Change in Vehicles Exceeding Speed Limit on N1/8 (ASOD Phase 2) ...................... 38
Figure 4-14: Comparison of Total Speeding Prosecutables, S341s Issued vs. Payments on the R61
....................................................................................................................................................... 39
Figure 5-1: Location of Beaufort West Weighbridge and Provincial Traffic Department .................. 42
Figure 5-2: Comparison of Vehicle Volumes versus Weighed Volumes ......................................... 45
Figure 5-3: Weighbridge Operating Hours per Month ...................................................................... 46
Figure 5-4: Weigh Rate per Hour .................................................................................................... 46
Figure 5-5: Total Number of Vehicles Charged with Overloading Per Month .................................. 47
Figure 5-6: Number of Buses Weighed and Overloaded ................................................................ 48
Figure 5-7: Number of Fatal Crashes Involving Heavy Vehicles and Buses ................................... 48
Figure 6-1: Average Daily Traffic per month at non-ASOD Controlled Sites .................................... 52
Figure 6-2: Average Daily Traffic per month on ASOD Controlled R61 ........................................... 53
Figure 6-3 Monthly Traffic Volumes for R61 by Heavy and Light Vehicle Types............................. 54
Figure 6-4: 85th Percentile Speeds at non-ASOD controlled Roads. ............................................... 55
Figure 6-5: 85th Percentile Speeds on ASOD controlled R61. ......................................................... 56
Figure 6-6: Average Speed on non-ASOD controlled Roads........................................................... 56
Figure 6-7: Average Speed on ASOD controlled R61. .................................................................... 57
xi
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
Figure 6-8: Comparison of Data Sources: Fatalities for Decembers and Januaries for the N1- 6/7/8
....................................................................................................................................................... 59
Figure 6-9: Total Annual Road Accident Crashes along Three ASOD-Controlled Roads and Two
Control Sites – R27 and N2/5 ......................................................................................................... 60
Figure 6-10: Three-Year Moving Average Road Accident Crash Rate along ASOD-Controlled Roads
....................................................................................................................................................... 61
Figure 6-11: Annual Fatal Crashes along Three ASOD-Controlled Roads and Two Control Sites –
R27 and N2/5 ................................................................................................................................. 61
Figure 6-12: 3-Year Moving Average Fatal Crash Rate along ASOD-Controlled Roads .................. 62
Figure 6-13: Number of Fatalities and Fatal Crashes along the R61 ............................................... 62
Figure 6-14: Total Annual Fatalities and Serious Injuries along R61 .............................................. 63
xii
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
AADT : Average Annual Daily Traffic
AARTO: Administration Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences
ANPR : Automatic Number Plat Recognition
ASOD : Average Speed Over Distance
CTO : Comprehensive Traffic Observations
IPAS : Integrated Provincial Accident Data System
M&E : Monitoring and Enforcement
NLTA : National Land Transport Act, 2009 (Act No 5, 2009)
NRTA : National Road Traffic Act
OB : Occurrence Book
PLTF : Provincial Land Transport Framework
PRE : Provincial Regulatory Entity
PSO3 : Provincial Strategic Objectives 3
RTMC : Road Traffic Management Committee
RTQS : Road Transport Quality System
SANRAL: South African Road Agency Limited
SAPS : South African Police Services
VCPs : Vehicle Check Points
WCG : Western Cape Government
WIM : Weigh-in-Motion
xiii
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We would like to thank the following officials and agencies for their contributions towards this
enforcement evaluation of the Safely Home Programme. Without their support and involvement, the
evaluation would not have been possible.
WCG, Provincial Law Enforcement - Beaufort West Provincial Traffic Centre
WCG, Provincial Law Enforcement – Regional Provincial Traffic (N1 West Coast Region)
WCG, Provincial Law Enforcement
Municipal Traffic Department - Beaufort West
WCG, Transport and Public Works - Programme 5: Transport Regulation; Safely Home
Programme
WCG, Transport and Public Works – Monitoring and Evaluation
Evaluation of Safely Home Enforcement Activities: Evaluation Report 1
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background
It is common cause that Road Safety in South Africa has been and is a serious concern. When
compared to worldwide fatality rates, South Africa was third on the fatality generator list with 27.97
fatalities per 100 000 inhabitants (IRF 2006 in UCT, 2010).
In an attempt to address these high road fatalities, the Western Cape Government developed
“Provincial Strategic Objective 3: Moving the Western Cape Forward – Increasing access to safe
and efficient transport” which was approved by Cabinet in July 2010 (Western Cape Government,
2010). The Safely Home Programme falls within this Strategic Objective 3 and was designed to
achieve the stated outcome of “Reducing road fatalities by 50% by 2014.
Safely Home interventions are focussed within the traditional four E’s i.e. Enforcement,
Engineering, Education and Evaluation. In pursuit of the Strategic Objective 3, various plans were
identified within each of these focus areas:
Enforcement
Enforce compliance of road traffic laws through visible and smart means to create the
perception of the omnipresence of enforcement authorities (Plan 1).
Engineering
Implement engineering and infrastructure improvement projects to reduce road crashes
and fatalities at hazardous locations as well as around schools and public transport
facilities (Plan 2).
Design, implement and monitor a system for road safety audits as part of the required
Environmental Impact Assessments that have to be completed at design and
implementation stages of all infrastructure and development projects (Plan 3).
Education and Awareness
Build internal capacity to improve road safety education and awareness through life
skills (Plan 4).
Identify, design and implement mechanisms to facilitate community engagement on
road safety awareness projects (Plan 5).
Design and implement communication and awareness campaigns with specific
reference e.g. drunk driving, seatbelt wearing, etc. (Plan 6).
Design and implement operational plans including the building of capacity – to
transform and improve the processes and systems for driver and vehicle fitness testing
(Plan 7).
Engage LeadSA in all possible means to advance communication and awareness (Plan
8).
Develop learner transport policies and strategies (Plan 9).
Implement learner license training as part of school curriculum (Plan 10).
Develop staggered increase of breath/blood AC for learner/novice drivers (Plan 11).
Develop a strategy for road safety ambassadors (Plan 12).
Evaluation of Safely Home Enforcement Activities: Evaluation Report 2
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
Develop a strategy regarding pedestrian sobriety taking into account local by-laws (Plan
13).
Develop and implement protocols for action by traffic and SAPS officers at roadblocks,
vehicle check points and possible future compulsory stops (Plan 14).
Evaluation
Develop systems and processes to collect, verify and analyse data and statistics to
ensure intelligence driven projects and operations (Plan 15).
Analyse deficiencies in terms of accident reporting and impact on corrective measures
where possible (Plan 16).
Analyse best practice models of accident reporting and develop appropriate models
(Plan 17).
Design, coordinate and implement research and pilot projects in support of the
provincial goals including SHADOWS, Average Speed Over Distance (Plan 18).
The University of Cape Town prepared a baseline study for the Safely Home Programme in
December 2010, which summarised the status of road crashes, fatalities and injuries for the
Western Cape. This report identified the key “black spots” and provided a guide for Safely Home
implementation actions.
1.2 Overview
Road traffic enforcement aims to achieve safe and efficient movement of people and goods by
controlling road user behaviour through preventative, persuasive and punitive measures. In the
context of this study, the focus is on “Enforcement” and specifically the role of visible policing and
“Smart” enforcement and how it was applied within the context of the Safely Home Programme.
A strong visible policing presence plays an important role in altering road user behaviour, making it
a key element of the enforcement plan. The responsibility of carrying out the visible road traffic
enforcement lies with Provincial and Municipal Traffic. These include:
Routine and daily patrols
Roadblocks and vehicle check points
Speed enforcement
Alcohol blitzes
Fatigue management Programmes
Public transport operating license regulation and driver/vehicle checks
Automated or “smart” enforcement techniques have been used to facilitate and support existing
visible enforcement activities since they have the potential to reduce the traffic policing resources
required. The areas where these smart enforcement techniques have been utilised in the province
include:
Speed limit enforcement
Red light signal enforcement
Heavy vehicle enforcement
License transgressions and stolen vehicle identification.
Evaluation of Safely Home Enforcement Activities: Evaluation Report 3
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
1.3 Purpose of the Evaluation
This evaluation focuses only on the enforcement component of Safely Home. The purpose of the
enforcement evaluation is to:
Provide data to inform the development or review of a strategic approach in enforcement
operations and intelligence-driven deployment.
Provide evidence to help inform decision-makers to optimise enforcement activities.
Provide information that would assist the efficient and effective enforcement deployment.
Provide recommendations to improve traffic law enforcement processes and procedures,
and improve the documenting of information as part of the enforcement judiciary system.
Identify areas of good practice which can act as exemplars to encourage further
development.
Identify gaps and weaknesses to policy, procedures and processes and thus determine
where best to target resources and focus efforts.
Assess the impact of previous and/or current traffic law enforcement systems.
1.4 Study Area
For various reasons, including time and budget constraints, this evaluation was limited to the
Beaufort West region (refer to Figure 1-1). Beaufort West is the gateway into the Western Cape
and has served as a pilot for a number of smart technologies. These include three phases or
segments of Average Speed Over Distance (ASOD), which was implemented together with a
control room or back-office in Beaufort West. Beaufort West also includes the only weigh-in-
motion (WIM) weighbridge station with electronic screening of heavy vehicles in the Western Cape.
The following road sections were included in the study:
National Road N1:
Laingsburg to Beaufort West (N1 Sections 5, 6 & 7)
Beaufort West to Riemhoogte (N1 Section 8)
Provincial Trunk Route TR 33 (R61)
Beaufort West to Aberdeen (TR 33 section km 0 to 74)
1.5 Project Scope
Enforcement activities and key interventions which the WCG have implemented in the Beaufort
West region on the abovementioned study roadways as part of the Safely Home Project were
identified, reviewed, analysed and evaluated. These include the following components:
Visible Enforcement by provincial traffic officers related to:
speeding
overloading
drunken driving
RTQS enforcement e.g. road-worthiness, licensing, etc. etc.
Smart Enforcement related to:
Evaluation of Safely Home Enforcement Activities: Evaluation Report 4
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
ASOD
Weighbridge with weigh-in-motion screening
1.6 Report layout
The Enforcement Evaluation Report forms part of the Safely Home Enforcement Evaluation being
undertaken for the Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Unit of WCG. The Report includes the
following chapters:
Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 2: Evaluation Methodology
Chapter 3: Evaluation of Visible Enforcement Activities
Chapter 4: Evaluation of ASOD/ANPR
Chapter 5: Evaluation of Weighbridge/Weigh in Motion
Chapter 6: Evaluation of Driver Behaviour Indicators
Chapter 7: General Evaluation and Trends
Evaluation of Safely Home Enforcement Activities: Evaluation Report 5
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
Figure 1-1: Map of Beaufort West Study Area
Implementation Evaluation of Safely Home Enforcement Activities: Evaluation Report 6
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
2. EVALUATION METHODOLOGY
The following section describes the methodology that was used to undertake the evaluation of the
Safely Home Programme.
2.1 Confirmation of Scope
An inception meeting was held with M&E to confirm the purpose of the study and its
respective deliverables.
The scope was geographically limited to only include the Beaufort West area and the road
sections as outlined in Chapter 1.
A revised scope and budget were prepared and submitted to the client in response to the
change in scope and budget.
2.2 Collection and Analysis of Data
A systematic review was undertaken to understand the type of data sources, existing
reports or documents, as well as other information that was available for the evaluation.
A site visit was undertaken to Beaufort West to meet with the relevant local provincial traffic
personnel, to observe operations first hand and to understand the type of data that will be
available for the evaluation.
The list of available data and their sources was presented and ratified by the project
steering committee which is represented by Provincial M&E, Transport Regulation and
Provincial Traffic.
As agreed, specific approved data was obtained via ratified sources (refer to Chapter 4 for
details)
All data was reviewed, verified and analysed for trends and changes in road safety
indicators.
Table 2-1 shows a summary of the types of data available for this evaluation, including the source
and periods for which the data was available. The data and the results of the analysis are
described in detail in each relevant section of the report.
2.3 Stakeholder Interviews
Interviews with key Safely Home Enforcement stakeholders were undertaken to:
understand the expectations of the study,
confirm the details of the Safely Home Programme,
identify the possible data sources that are available
obtain the contact details of key personnel to meet with
identify the enforcement activities or projects undertaken as part of Safely Home
determine what’s working
identify constraints or what could be improved
The following interviews/meetings were carried out as part of this evaluation:
Provincial Traffic
Regional Office - Mr. Hufkie and Ms. Fennie
Implementation Evaluation of Safely Home Enforcement Activities: Evaluation Report 7
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
Beaufort West Provincial Traffic
Acting Traffic Chief – Ms Swanepoel
Statistician – Ms Eckard
Control Room Operator – Ms Mallies
Weighbridge Supervisor – Mr Spogter
Impoundment Supervisor – Mr Tyke
Receptionist, record keeper for accidents - Ms Buyers
o ASOD and Weigh bridge consultants – Aurecon, Mr Oosthuizen
2.4 Skills Transfer
A provincial official has been co-opted to actively work as part of the consultant evaluation
team and assigned specific data sourcing/analysis tasks.
A one day workshop was held to discuss the details of the project, the methods that were
used and how they were applied, and what lessons were learned.
2.5 Peer Review
Two peer review workshops were held as part of the project process. The purpose of the
workshops was to present the data analysis and interim findings and to obtain input from
attendees.
Workshop attendees included Ramesh Maharaj and Brendon Cloete from Monitoring and
Evaluation, Carmen Alex West from Programme 5: Transport Regulation as well as road
safety specialists Marion Sinclair from Stellenbosch University and Jan Coetzee from ITS
Engineers.
Implementation Evaluation of Safely Home Enforcement Activities: Evaluation Report 8
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
Table 2-1: Overview of Data Collected as part of Safely Home Evaluation
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
Cabinet approval July 2010
Phase 1 (R61 Beaufort West - Aberdeen)
Phase 2 (N1 Beaufort West - Riemhoogte)
Phase 3 (N1 Lainsburg - Beaufort West)
Dec 20007 as part of Overloading Control
DATA TYPE SOURCE OF DATA ORGANISATION/CONTACT PERSON STATUS AVAILABLE DATES FOR DATA
Traffic Volumes CTO counting stations Syntell received
Average Speeds CTO counting stations Syntell received
iPasProvincial Government, Safely Home Programme
5, Kevin Octoberreceived
MSC Forensic LaboratoryProvincial Government, Safely Home Programme
5, Kevin Octoberreceived
Monthly reporting
compiled by Beaufort
West Traffic
Provincial Traffic: BW with approval Provincial
Department, Receptionist Mrs ?received
Vehicle Tracking data GMT/Tracking company Jacqueline Abrahams/ Eliza Heinz outstanding
ASOD softwareMunicipal Traffic: BW with approval Mr Lakay, Mr
Danielsreceived
Monthly reporting
compiled by control room
Provincial Traffic: BW with approval Provincial
Department, Mrs Malliesreceived
Number of S341s ASOD softwareMunicipal Traffic: Beaufort West with approval Mr
Lakay, Mr Danielsreceived
Visible Enforcement Activities
Log sheets recorded by
Traffic officers (RTMC
reports)
Provincial Traffic: BW with approval Provincial
Department, Mrs Eckardreceived
Impound Information
Log sheets recorded by
Traffic officers (RTMC
reports)
Provincial Traffic: BW with approval Provincial
Department, Mrs Eckardreceived
WIM softwareAurecon, Mr Oosthuizen with approval fro Provincial
Governmentreceived
Log sheets recorded by
Traffic officers (RTMC
reports)
Provincial Traffic: BW with approval Provincial
Department, Mrs Eckardreceived
Weighbridge Information
ASOD Installation
Weigh Bridge - Weigh in Motion Software
Accident Data
Number of S56s issued
AfterBefore
2012 2013 2014
Safely Home Programme
SAFELY HOME ENFORCEMENT IN BEAUFORT WEST REGION2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Implementation Evaluation of Safely Home Enforcement Activities: Evaluation Report 9
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
3. EVALUATION OF VISIBLE ENFORCEMENT ACTIVITIES
Enforcement activities in the Beaufort West study area include visible or traditional enforcement as
well as smart enforcement. Visible enforcement refers to day-to-day activities or special
national/provincial enforcement programmes
undertaken by provincial and local traffic law
enforcement, while smart or automated
enforcement refers to supporting technology
implemented to enhance traditional
enforcement methods.
3.1 Overview of Visible Enforcement
Beaufort West Provincial Traffic undertakes
visible enforcement activities daily. Typically,
these daily traffic enforcement activities are
implemented according to “The Grid”. This is
the Traffic Law Enforcement’s planning tool that
is prepared quarterly (three-monthly). The Grid
is compiled to achieve monthly enforcement
targets and to incorporate any other planned
national, provincial and/or inter-agency
enforcement programmes.
Shift supervisors deploy traffic officers to
specific tasks based on this pre-prepared grid.
Visible enforcement includes activities such as:
Roadblocks with special focus areas
such as fatigue management and
alcohol blitzes
Vehicle Check Points (VCPs)
Patrols
Speed enforcement
Vehicle escorts
Overloading control/weighbridge
3.1.1 Roadblocks
Roadblocks are one of the key enforcement activities used within visible traffic law enforcement. In
Beaufort West, these roadblocks could also include other local role-players such as Forensic
Pathology, SAPs, EMS and Municipal Traffic. Roadblocks can also be undertaken as part of larger
nationally or provincially coordinated and targeted enforcement programmes. In these cases, it
ensures consistent cross border enforcement to the Northern and Eastern Cape.
Roadblocks typically have a particular pre-determined focus such as driving under the influence,
public transport or fatigue management. It could also include an educational and awareness
aspect based on the specific focus area. This includes directly communicating with drivers about
the issues and handing out targeted brochures as part of the roadblock.
Roadblock procedures include:
Implementation Evaluation of Safely Home Enforcement Activities: Evaluation Report 10
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
Setting up one hour before the roadblock starts
A briefing by the operational commander (a senior officer or role-player leading the
roadblock), which includes a discussion about the purpose/focus of the roadblock and the
desired outcomes.
Registering the roadblock according to the set protocols:
Bravo Control, the main provincial control room at Vangate Traffic Centre in Cape Town
Joint Information Centre (local control room) in Beaufort West which formally records it
in their OB
The roadblock operations must be undertaken for more than two hours.
A debriefing held to summarise outcomes of the roadblock
Record keeping undertaken as part of daily, weekly and monthly reporting, together with
target indicators.
Roadblocks are either standard or K78 roadblocks. K78 roadblocks have particular signage and
equipment associated with it, including:
Traffic signs indicating:
Roadblock ahead with blue sign
Arrows directing to the operations areas
100, 80, 60, 40 speed reduction
Stop sign
Orange cones in the middle of the road directing vehicles to the operations area
Traffic officers showing hand signs to pull off
Lights
Vehicle with spinning blue lights
Spot lights at night
3.1.2 Vehicle Check Points
Vehicle check points or VCPs are not as extensive and do not require the K78 equipment as for
the roadblock described above. Typically, 3-4 traffic officers are involved in performing the
operation for a minimum of two hours. A briefing and debriefing is also carried out with a log into
the OB of the local Beaufort West control room. The successes are recorded as part of the daily
enforcement activities prepared by traffic officer reports.
3.1.3 Patrols
Patrols are used to contribute to a reduction in moving traffic offenses and to maximise the
exposure of traffic officers with an aim to an overall reduction in road accidents and offence rates.
In Beaufort West, patrols carried out by Provincial Traffic are undertaken on provincial and national
roads i.e. N1, R61 and N12.
There are seven patrol routes in the Beaufort West area. When an officer in a vehicle is on patrol,
the vehicle must:
Operate on the hard shoulder (within the yellow line area)
Implementation Evaluation of Safely Home Enforcement Activities: Evaluation Report 11
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
Keep below a speed limit of 80km/hour
Have headlights and blue lights on for high visibility
When on patrol, officers will stop drivers to enforce the NRTA e.g. illegal cell phone use, safety
belts, etc. Patrols may also be coordinated and planned for a unified cross-border or corridor
presence. In these incidences, coordination of enforcement takes place with Northern Cape and
Eastern Cape provincial traffic.
3.1.4 Manual Speed Enforcement
Manual speed enforcement is done with the use of a prolaser camera. This is normally done
outside of the sections included in the ASOD sections. A record of this type of manual speed
enforcement is made as part of the daily enforcement activity reports prepared by individual traffic
officers and reflected also in the combined weekly and monthly statistics for the traffic centre.
3.1.5 Typical Enforcement Focus Areas
The various enforcement activities would also incorporate an overarching focus. For example,
focus areas typically include:
Alcohol or driving under the influence of alcohol
Driver fatigue management
Public transport enforcement
Roadblocks with an alcohol focus are called Alcohol Blitzes and are undertaken with SAPS and
other role players. Typically, the procedures include:
First observing or smelling for signs of alcohol use on the driver
If there are signs, a breathalyser screening test is carried out with the Dragar
equipment in which the blood alcohol levels must be less than 0.24g/l
Drivers in excess of this level are arrested and taken to the police station (SAPS
case number will be issued with forms SAPS 13/14 completed)
A blood test within two hours is required on those failing the first blood alcohol level
test.
Arrests and enforcement records of alcohol blitzes are recorded in the OB.
Public transport enforcement focuses on:
public transport vehicles that
do not have route operating licenses or are driving contrary to their approved routes
fail basic vehicle roadworthiness
do not have a valid vehicle license
are suspect to be stolen vehicles
drivers that do not have
valid driving licenses
valid professional driving permits (PrDPs)
Implementation Evaluation of Safely Home Enforcement Activities: Evaluation Report 12
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
Public transport vehicles without valid operating licenses are impounded and required to pay a
R2 000 fine and R7 000 impound fees. Fees are R1 000 if they have a valid operating license but
do not have it with them in the vehicle.
Fatigue management is a programme focussed on public transport drivers and drivers of other
vehicles driving long distances. This typically includes an education or awareness component to
the roadblock. Traffic officers will stop drivers to talk to them about driver fatigue and ask them
questions about where they are travelling to and/or from, how long they have been driving and
advising them that they should stop every two hours or every 200km.
3.1.6 Offences and Written Notices
The type of traffic offences or transgressions as defined in the National Road Traffic Act No 93 of
1996 typically falls into the following categories:
Driving document charges
Driving license i.e. none or failing to carry
PrDP i.e. none or failing to carry
Dangerous goods vehicle permits
Public transport operating license
Moving offence charges
Inconsiderate Driving
Overtaking in Face / Barrier line
Traffic Signal Violations (Road Sign / Marking)
Stopping on Freeway
Speed - Manual (Hand held camera), fixed camera or ASOD
Seat Belt (driver and passengers)
Unlicensed Vehicles
Fail to Display Licence Disc
Overloading goods and passengers
Held Cell phone in Hand Whilst Driving
Vehicle defect charges
Steering
Windscreen Wipers
Brakes
Tyres
Lights or lamps (headlamps, rear lamps or stop lights, direction indicators)
Number Plate
Side and Rear Retro Reflective Markings
Implementation Evaluation of Safely Home Enforcement Activities: Evaluation Report 13
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
There are two kinds of written notices or fines issued, regardless of the traffic violation. These are
referred to after the particular Section in the National Road Traffic Act in which it is contained
(NRTA, 1996).
Section 56s
A section 56 or S56 is a written notice that is issued by a traffic officer directly and in person to a
motorist. These can be for any type of traffic offence as listed above. It is considered an
admission of guilt and includes a court date. A Section 56 notice gives a motorist 30 days to pay
before the case goes to court. These types of fines can typically not be ignored by motorists since
they are received in person, consequently deeming the motorist to l be in contempt of court if the
fine is not paid or the court hearing is not attended..
Section 341s
A Section 341 notice is sent to a motorist by post for violations caught on traffic camera or for
traffic tickets issued in the absence of the motorist (for example, for an expired licence disk). It
does not have a court date on it but is a first notice before summons. The traffic department will
issue a second notice before actually issuing the summons. Usually two notices are issued before
a summons is issued, after which the motorist is given another 30 days to pay (or contest your fine
in writing) before the case goes to court. Typically, an offender has three months to pay a Section
341 fine.
If fines are not paid or contested by the due date and the motorist does not appear in court to
present his case, a warrant of arrest is then automatically when the case goes to court.
3.2 Available Data for Evaluation
Reporting on the enforcement activities is undertaken on a daily, weekly and monthly basis for
Beaufort West Provincial Traffic. However, there are no standard protocols in place to keep an
electronic backup for these reports or to prepare historical trend analysis. Currently traffic officers
are deployed in accordance with “the grid” unless changes are required due to manpower
shortages or when responding to a road accident emergency. Individual traffic officers submit logs
to their supervisors recording their activities for the day. These logs together with weighbridge
information are used to prepare the following reports on a daily, weekly or monthly basis:
TLE004a & TLE004b forms are completed by traffic officers on a daily basis.
A RTMC form is also completed on a daily and weekly basis. Monthly reports for the
Beaufort West traffic centre are forwarded to the RTMC. (refer to Figure 3-1)
TLE001 form (Figure 4-2 in the next chapter is an example) is also completed for the
Beaufort West Provincial Traffic on a daily basis and combined for weekly and monthly
statistics. These TLE001 forms are compiled and sent on a weekly basis to the N1
Beaufort West regional office where targets are tracked for the region. The same form is
also completed by the control room for ASOD enforcement activities.
Monthly and quarterly targets for Beaufort West Provincial Traffic. (refer to Figure 3-2)
Minister’s report which summarises public transport enforcement data.
The data to evaluate the extent and effectiveness of existing visible enforcement activities within
Beaufort West Provincial Traffic has probably been the most problematic due to the following
reasons:
Data is captured in standardised forms rather than in a comprehensive database.
Implementation Evaluation of Safely Home Enforcement Activities: Evaluation Report 14
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
Analysis of the visible enforcement data analysis is not possible unless data is
converted and manipulated into a database.
Data capturing is not automated but requires each form to be re-captured in a different
format. Often the same information is required for a number of forms, necessitating the
physical re-capturing of data on the different forms.
Data reporting in its current form is time-consuming with a large amount of duplication
of information in various reports.
It is unreliable since it is open to human error.
Data is not automatically stored electronically. Prior to the employment of the current
statistician, all records were only held in hardcopy.
No electronic records for visible enforcement activities exist prior to January 2012.
Forms were over-written daily once information was emailed to RTMC and the regional
traffic office.
Implementation Evaluation of Safely Home Enforcement Activities: Evaluation Report 15
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
DAILY CRIME RETURN DATE
CRITICAL OUTCOMES CRITICAL OUTCOMES
No of k78 Roadblocks Held 2 2No. of Vehicles Stopped 198 5 140 98 224 3 349 1017No. of Drivers Tested for Alcohol 36 14 17 48 58 173No. of Vehicles Weighed 0
DRIVING DOCUMENT CHARGES (WRITTEN NOTICE CHARGES ONLY) DRIVING DOCUMENT CHARGES (WRITTEN NOTICE CHARGES ONLY)
Driving Licence NONE 1 2 2 8 13Driving Licence FAIL to CARRY 1 2 3 7 13PrDP NONE 1 6 1 8PrDP FAIL to CARRY 1 6 1 8
0 Public Passanger Transport Permit condition 10 10
MOVING OFFENCE CHARGES (WRITTEN NOTICE CHARGES ONLY) MOVING OFFENCE CHARGES (WRITTEN NOTICE CHARGES ONLY)
Inconsiderate Driving 0Overtaking in Face / Barrier line 1 1Road Sign / Marking - Traffic Signal Violations 0Stopping on Freeway 0Speed - Manual (Hand held camera) 2 3 5Speed - Camera (Fixed Camera) 0Seat Belt Drivers 2 1 1 4Seat Belt Front Seat Passengers 4 3 4 3 14Seat Belt Rear Seat Passengers 38 2 40Unlicensed Vehicles 6 4 6 4 20Fail to Display Licence Disc 7 8 1 3 19Overloading GOODS 0Overloading PASSENGERS 8 8Held Cell phone in Hand Whilst Driving 1 1 2Other Moving Offences 1 1 2
VEHICLE DEFECT CHARGES (WRITTEN NOTICE CHARGES) VEHICLE DEFECT CHARGES (WRITTEN NOTICE CHARGES)
Steering 00
Brakes SERVICE 0Brakes PARKING 1 1Tyres 4 3 7Front Lamps / Headlamps 4 2 6Rear Lamps / Stop Lamps 3 7 5 15Direction Indicators 1 6 3 10Number Plate 1 2 4 7Side and Rear Retro Reflective Markings 0Other Defects 2 2 2 6TOTAL WRITTEN NOTICE CHARGE 37 5 261 121 310 3 440 1177Vehicles Discontinued/ impounded 0
Drunken Driving 1 1No Driving Licence 0Speed 0Overload Goods 0Overload Passangers 0Inco,Rec. & Neg. 0Permits / Operating Permits 0Warrants Executed 0False Documentation 0Other Arrests 0
Total Arrests 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1Pedestrians Arrested 0Grand Total (Charges+Suspensions+Arrests) 37 5 261 121 311 3 440 1178
MINIBUSES
M.P.V.'s L.D.V.'s
MOTOR
CYCLES
Dangerous Goods Vehicles
Windscreen Wipers
22-28 July 2013
AUTHORITY: H.M.V.'s BUSSESMINIBUS
TAXIS
Arr
ests
SEDANS TOTAL
Figure 3-1: Example of RTMC Report - Recording visible enforcement activities undertaken
by Beaufort West Provincial Traffic
Implementation Evaluation of Safely Home Enforcement Activities: Evaluation Report 16
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
APR MAY JUNQUARTER
TOTAL
OVER /
UNDER APR MAY JUN
4.2.1
Number of speed
operations
conducted
45 47 23 115 72 45 50 24
4.2.2Number of K78
roadblocks held5 9 21 35 4 8 10 15
4.2.3
Number of hours
weighbridgets
operated
665 690 720 2 075 -1 811 657 676 715
4.2.4
Number of road
side v ehicle
check point
operations
19 50 58 127 44 19 49 59
4.2.1
Number of speed
operations
conducted
4.2.2Number of K78
roadblocks held
4.2.3
Number of hours
weighbridgets
operated
4.2.4
Number of road
side v ehicle
check point
operations
OVER /
UNDER
BEAUFORT WEST PROVINCAL TRAFFIC CENTRE 1ST QUARTER PERFORMANCE REPORT
VALIDATED INPUTS OUTPUT VARIANCE
P R ELIM
& VA LID .
VA R IA N C
E
R EA SON F OR VA R IA N C E
B ET WEEN P R ELIM IN A R Y
A N D VA LID A T ED
OUT P UT
MONTH
REASONS FOR
UNDER-
ACHIEVEMENT
QUARTE
R TOTAL
SUB-PROGRAMME
PERFORMANCE
INDICATORS
2013/14 APP TARGETS PRELIMINARY INPUTS QUARTER PERFORMANCE REPORT NARRATIVE
ANNUAL QUARTER
REMEDIAL ACTION IN
RESPECT OF UNDER-
ACHIEVEMENTS
REASONS FOR OVER-
ACHIEVMENT
2 048
120 31 10
156 43 14 Late submissions was received
and not calculated with the daily
stats
2
-4
The weigh bridge hours were
calculated and rounded off on a
daily basis as whereas inspection
was being done on a monthly
basis.
P lanned roadblocks with
SAPS improved over the
quarter. M ore roadblocks
were required from SAPS
33 2
Daily ASOD law
enforcement119 76
OVER -A C H IEVEM EN T
Daily ASOD law
enforcement
PRELIMINARY REASONSAPR MAY JUN
UN D ER -A C H IEVEM EN T R EM ED IA L A C T ION / S
Daily ASOD law enforcement
OVER -A C H IEVEM EN T
Daily ASOD law enforcement
R EM ED IA L A C T ION / S OVER -A C H IEVEM EN T UN D ER -A C H IEVEM EN T UN D ER -A C H IEVEM EN T R EM ED IA L A C T ION / S
127 44300 83 28 -
### 3 886 1 295
This office received other
targets that has to be
achieved at the RD
meeting at Worcester and
therefore we worked on
that amount. We will never
VCP's were held according
the planned grid and more
VCP's were required from
SAPS
-1 838 27
SAPS didn't attent
roadblocks, lack
ofcommunication
Will engage with SAPS
Although there was an
improvement, the target
was still not reached.
Will engage again with SAPS
This office received other targets
that has to be achieved at the RD
meeting at Worcester and
therefore we worked on that
amount. We will never be able to
reach this amount o f hours at the
M ore planned roadblocks
with SAPS were
implemented
This office received other
targets that has to be achieved
at the RD meeting at
Worcester and therefore we
worked on that amount. We
will never be able to reach this
This office received other
targets that has to be
achieved at the RD
meeting at Worcester and
therefore we worked on
that amount. We will
03 October 2013
CONTROL
PROVINCIAL
INSPECTOR
D. HUFKIE SIGNATURE 03 July 2013 D. HUFKIE SIGNATURE
W. VAN ROOI SIGNATURE 02 October 2013CHIEF PROVINCIAL
INSPECTORW. VAN ROOI SIGNATURE 02 July 2013
Other operational
activities (memorial
service, Funeral etc)
COMPILER /
STATS ADMINISTRATORS. EKKERD SIGNATURE 02 July 2013 S. EKKERD SIGNATURE 02 October 2013
VCP's were held
according the planning
grid
It is hereby certified that the non-finanical data submitted for the respectiv e months and current quarter is correct and that the inputs can be v erified against supportiv e documentation, which reflects the true performance of the centre.
PRELIMINARY VALIDATED
VCP's were held according the
planning grid
Figure 3-2: Example of Quarterly Performance Reports Prepared by Beaufort West Traffic
Implementation Evaluation of Safely Home Enforcement Activities: Evaluation Report 17
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
The RTMC monthly report summaries were used in the analysis of enforcement activities since
these were the most comprehensive and electronically available since January 2012. However,
since RTMC records could not be accessed prior to 2012, it was not possible to compare current
visible enforcement with visible enforcement prior to the implementation of the first ASOD phase in
October 2011. An analysis has been undertaken to see if there has been any change in visible
enforcement since 2012 with the advent of the additional ASOD phases.
The RTMC forms capture the following data as shown in Figure 3-1:
provincial performance indicators against set targets
the number of written charges or S56s issued by:
type of infringement i.e. driving document charges, moving offence charges and/or
vehicle defect charges
type of vehicle i.e. heavy, bus, mini-bus, LDV, motorcycle or sedan
number of vehicles discontinued or impounded by type of vehicle
number and type of arrests i.e. drunken driving, speed, overloading, operating permits,
warrants executed, false documentation or pedestrians.
3.3 Organisational Structure of Provincial Traffic Law Enforcement
Western Cape Government’s Provincial Traffic Management Unit has historically been housed
within the Department of Community Safety. From 1 April 2014, Traffic Management has shifted to
the Department of Transport and Public Works.
Traffic Management is headed by Chief Director Mr Africa with his three directors: Mr Jansen for
Road Safety Management, Mr Lakey for Traffic Law Enforcement and Dr Engelbrecht for Traffic
Training and Development.
Western Cape Provincial Traffic Law Enforcement is structured into three regions, each headed by
a regional director. There are 12 provincial traffic centres as shown in Table 3-1.
Table 3-1: Traffic Regions and Centres in the Western Cape
Region Regional Director Traffic Centres
Metro Mr Michaels Somerset West and Brackenfell (2)
N1 West Coast Mr Hufkie Vredenburg, Vredendal, Beaufort West, Laingsburg
and Worcester (5)
N2 Southern Cape Mr Curren Caledon, Knysna, Mosselbay, Oudtshoorn and
Swellendam (5)
Implementation Evaluation of Safely Home Enforcement Activities: Evaluation Report 18
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
Beaufort West falls under the N1 West Coast region, reporting to regional director Mr Hufkie.
Beaufort West has a total staff complement of 57 officers and support staff, as shown in the
organisational diagram below (Figure 3-3). There are currently six vacancies including the traffic
chief, with one of the assigned principal provincial inspectors currently assuming the position of
Acting Traffic Chief.
Figure 3-3: Organisational Structure of Beaufort West Traffic
3.4 Performance Indicators and Targets for Visible Traffic Enforcement
Performance targets are set for specific performance indicators for each provincial traffic centre
and traffic region and these are rolled-up into the provincial targets. The current performance
indicators include the number of speed operations, K78 roadblocks held, operational weighbridge
hours and VCPs. Table 3-2 shows the monthly, quarterly and annual targets for each performance
indicator for Beaufort West Provincial Traffic Centre.
Table 3-2: Performance Indicators and Targets for Beaufort West Provincial Traffic Centre
Performance Indicators 2013/2014 Targets
Month Quarter Annual
Number of speed operations 12 37 148
Number of K78 roadblocks held 7 22 88
Number of roadside VCPs 26 79 316
Number of weighbridge hours * 720 2160 8640
Figure 3-2 illustrates the quarterly performance results, showing that all other targets are being
achieved except for the number of weighbridge operational hours. The underachievement of this
weighbridge target has been attributed to lack of staffing.
Traffic Chief (1)
(vacant- acting chief)
Principal Provincial Inspector (4)
(1 serves as acting chief)
Senior Provincial Inspector (5)
(2 vacant)
Senior Admin Clerk (2)
(1 vacant)
Chief Admin Clerk (1)
Provincial Inspector (44)
(2 vacant)
Implementation Evaluation of Safely Home Enforcement Activities: Evaluation Report 19
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
3.5 Analysis of Visible Enforcement Activities
The following figures summarise the analyses of the visible enforcement activities of the Beaufort
West Provincial Traffic Centre. This analysis is based on RTMC monthly report summaries, which
were available only from January 2012. Additional supporting graphs can also be found in
Annexure A.
Figure 3-4, Figure 3-5, Figure 3-6 and Figure 3-7 present line graphs of the cumulative monthly
totals for the years 2012, 2013 and 2014. Data was only available for the first two months of the
2014 year.
Figure 3-4 shows the total number of K78 roadblocks held annually by Beaufort West. There are
about 400 – 500 roadblocks held annually with approximately 120 more roadblocks held in 2013
than in 2012. This equates to between 35 and 40 roadblocks per month or more than one per day.
Although only two months of data is available for 2014, it appears to be following the same trend
as that of the other two years.
Figure 3-4: Number of K78 Roadblocks held by BW Provincial Traffic
It may be questioned whether the number of roadblocks held is a reasonable and practical
measure; a better measure to report would probably be the number of roadblock-hours per month.
Figure 3-5 shows the cumulative number of vehicles stopped by provincial traffic officers of
Beaufort West per month for each calendar year. There is very little difference between 2012 and
2013, with approximately the same number i.e. ± 320 000 vehicles stopped in both years. Again,
2014 appears to be following a similar trend to the previous two years.
Implementation Evaluation of Safely Home Enforcement Activities: Evaluation Report 20
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
Figure 3-5: Number of Vehicles Stopped by BW Provincial Traffic
Figure 3-6 displays the number of drivers tested for alcohol during 2012, 2013 and 2014 as
cumulative monthly numbers. These range between 13 000 - 14 000 drivers tested per year.
During 2012, slightly more (about 680 more) drivers were tested compared to 2013, while 2014 is
starting slightly higher than the previous two years.
Figure 3-6: Drivers Tested for Alcohol by BW Provincial Traffic
Implementation Evaluation of Safely Home Enforcement Activities: Evaluation Report 21
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
Figure 3-7 shows the total number of written notices (S56s) issued for the entire Beaufort West
Provincial Traffic Centre. These numbers directly correlate with the levels of visible enforcement
since written notices require in-person issuing of fines. When comparing the cumulative monthly
and the annual totals for the years 2012, 2013 and for January/February 2014, there are no
obvious differences between these years. The levels of S56s issued have remained constant.
Figure 3-7: Written Notices (S56s) Issued by BW Provincial Traffic
Figure 3-8 shows the type of written notices (S56s) issued by the Beaufort West Provincial Traffic
Centre since 2012. These include vehicle defect charges, moving offence charges and driving
document charges. The details of actual infringements contained within each of these categories
are listed in Section 3.1.6. The relative proportion of the types of written charges remains largely
similar, but significantly more offences are issued during December and January of each year.
The latter obviously relates to the higher traffic volumes during these holiday months. The bulk of
the written notices are issued for moving offences.
Implementation Evaluation of Safely Home Enforcement Activities: Evaluation Report 22
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
Figure 3-8: Type of Written Notices (S56s) Issued by BW Provincial Traffic
Figure 3-9 shows the types of moving offence written charges issued by the Beaufort West
Provincial Traffic Department. The overloading of goods and passengers shows the largest
number of S56s issued, followed by speeding, and then unlicensed vehicles. January and
March/April (Easter holidays) show the largest number of speeding infringements issued.
Figure 3-9: Monthly Breakdown of ‘Moving Offence’ S56s issued by BW Provincial Traffic
Implementation Evaluation of Safely Home Enforcement Activities: Evaluation Report 23
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
Figure 3-10 shows the total number of arrests per year by Beaufort West Provincial Traffic Centre.
There has been a decrease in the number of arrests since 2012. On average, the number of
arrests range between 90 and 120 per year.
Figure 3-10: Arrests by BW Provincial Traffic
3.6 Summary Findings of Visible Enforcement Evaluation
General Observations
There is a more-or-less consistent output in the level of visible enforcement carried out by
Beaufort West traffic.
The level of human resources at Beaufort West Provincial Traffic Centre has remained
relatively constant since 2012.
There are a number of vacancies including that of Traffic Chief.
In discussions with Beaufort West Provincial Traffic representatives, lack of manpower has
been identified as a key concern and according to them it prevents any possibility of
increasing the levels of visible enforcement.
What is Working in Visible Enforcement?
Beaufort West Provincial Traffic Centre has generally been achieving the goals and targets
set for enforcement activities; except for operational weighbridge hours. Under-
achievement on this target is attributed to lack of sufficient manpower.
Coordination with other role-players e.g. SAPS, EMS and across border is taking place
which maximises enforcement visibility and integrates enforcement geographically.
Well defined protocols and procedures are in place for specific long-standing types of
enforcement activities such as K78 roadblocks and vehicle patrols.
Implementation Evaluation of Safely Home Enforcement Activities: Evaluation Report 24
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
The importance of awareness and educational campaigns as part of shifting driver
behaviour is largely accepted and is being incorporated into standard enforcement activities
such as roadblocks and VCPs.
Gaps & Weaknesses
Anecdotal comments have been received from the Beaufort West Provincial Traffic
Department, both from management and staff, regarding insufficient labour resources to
undertake the extent of enforcement and other traffic services required. This is particularly
problematic when three daily shifts, annual leave and sick leave have to be factored into
the schedule. Personnel on sick leave affects the department’s ability to fulfill the activities
planned in the monthly grid.
A number of vacancies exist including that of the traffic chief.
Access to eNatis information requires control room communication. This increases the
length of time it takes to issue fines. If the control room is not manned, access to this
information is not available and limits the extent of visible policing efforts that is possible.
The type, extent and format of the manual reporting of data is problematic , not only in
terms of possible errors that creep in along the way, but it also complicates summaries and
trend analyses.
Data is not automatically stored continuously and in electronic format. Once sent to the
Regional Office and the RTMC, the data is discarded since there is no protocol to keep the
data and to even analyse the enforcement efforts locally.
Records have only been electronically stored from 2012. This is essentially since the start
of the ASOD project which means thatenforcement activities or levels cannot be compared
with those prior to the ASOD implementation.
The manual collection of data from various sources i.e. daily traffic officer reports &
weighbridge data will inevitably include margins of human error.
Data and reporting procedures need to be better refined
Data capturing methods need to be changed to improve speed and accuracy.
Implementation Evaluation of Safely Home Enforcement Activities: Evaluation Report 25
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
4. EVALUATION OF ASOD RELATED ENFORCEMENT
Average Speed over Distance (ASOD), which employs Automatic Number Plate Recognition
(ANPR) technology for the identification of vehicles, is one of the smart technologies implemented
in the study area. Smart or automated enforcement refers to technology (hardware and software)
that has been implemented to support and facilitate the effectiveness of enforcement activities.
4.1 Overview of ASOD
ASOD systems employ ANPR to firstly identify a specific vehicle and secondly to identify the time
when it is observed at two locations a known distance apart. This is then used to calculate the
average speed (macroscopic speed) of a vehicle between the two known points rather than the
speed at a single location (microscopic speed).
Photo Image 4-1: Gantry Mounted ASOD Equipment Traffic Signage
Average speed is calculated by the time the vehicle takes to travel between point A (where the first
camera is located) to point B (where the second camera is located). If the vehicle reaches point B
or the second camera in a time shorter than is allowed within the given distance determined by the
speed limit, the driver is considered to be speeding or exceeding the speed limit.
Three phases of ASOD/ANPR have been implemented to date. Figure 4-1 illustrates the location
and extent of the three phases:
Phase 1: October 2011 on R61 (TR35/1 – TR35/74), a 71.6 km stretch of road between
Beaufort West and Aberdeen
Phase 2: November 2012 on N1 (N1/8), 31.7 km stretch of road between Beaufort West
and Three Sisters
Phase 3: December 2013 on N1 (N1/5 – N1/7), a total of 190.3 km between Laingsburg
and Beaufort West. It is enforced as three individual segments which align with the
respective Laingsburg, Prince Albert and Beaufort West Local Municipalities. The first
portion between Laingsburg and Dwyka is 66km, the second between Dwyka and Leeu
Gamka is 62km, and the third between Leeu Gamka and Beaufort West is 62.3km.
Evaluation of Safely Home Enforcement Activities: Evaluation Report 26
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
Figure 4-1: Map of ASOD Phasing of ASOD Implementation in Study Area
Evaluation of Safely Home Enforcement Activities: Evaluation Report 27
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
The implementation of ASOD technology has meant that extensive sections of national and
provincial roads are enforced on a 24/7 basis where infringements and/or violations are
automatically flagged in the control room located in Beaufort West. The control room operator
notifies traffic officers on patrol to stop the specific vehicle in order to issue a written notice
(Section 56 notice). The ASOD system flags speeding violations as well as other vehicle
registration transgressions i.e. any expired registrations, stolen vehicles, number plate conflicts,
etc., which are identified within the eNatis system, the national vehicle registration database. Once
stopped, S56’s may also be issued on site for other RTQS transgressions such as vehicle defects
(lights, indicators, etc.) or driver violations (no driver’s license, cell phone usage, etc.). In the case
of public transport vehicles, S56s may also be issued for driving without a PDP or an invalid
operating license.
Infringements flagged by the ASOD system, which are not immediately physically enforced by a
traffic officer stopping a vehicle and issuing a written S56 notice, can be issued by mailing a
Section 341 notice to the address as registered in the eNatis database.
The following photographs are screenshots of the ASOD software that is operational in the control
centre in Beaufort West.
Photo Image 4-2: ASOD software flagging traffic speed and eNatis infringements
*******
********** **********
**********
Evaluation of Safely Home Enforcement Activities: Evaluation Report 28
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
Photo Image 4-3: Communication/ Intercom Software to Contact Traffic Officers in the Field
Photo Image 4-4: Vehicle Tracking Software Locating Active Traffic Officers and EMS
vehicles
Evaluation of Safely Home Enforcement Activities: Evaluation Report 29
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
4.2 Available Data Sources Used to Evaluate ASOD
As shown in Figure 4-1 and described in previous sections, the implementation of ASOD in the
Beaufort West area occurred in three phases, the first in October 2011, the second in November
2012 and the third in December 2013.
Most of the figures and graphs in this report are based on a timeline that includes these
implementation dates with reference to Phase 1, Phase 2 and Phase 3.
Note of Caution
It should, however, be noted that there is effectively only two full years of data (2012 and 2013)
available for analysis since the implementation of the first phase, one year since the
implementation of Phase 2 and only two months of available data since the implementation of
Phase 3. This timeframe is too short to make meaningful assumptions, particularly when crash or
safety data is evaluated
Sources of data obtained to analyse ASOD enforcement activities include:
The Control Room Operator manually records all activities in the Occurrence Book (OB)
including:
When traffic officers start and end duty or when they have been instructed to change
activities.
When ASOD triggers/flags a transgression which is relayed by the control room to a
traffic officer in the field.
The number and types of S56’s issued.
Standard reports issued by the ASOD software, including:
Joint Information System (JIS) monthly summaries, which summarise eNatis
infringements flagged by ASOD, such as licensing, number plate conflicts,
roadworthiness, etc. These reports are available per direction for the various ASOD
segments. Total vehicle volumes recorded by the ASOD camera are also included in
these reports.
Section statistics report, summarising the total number of “prosecutables” per vehicle
type (light, minibus, heavy and buses). “Prosecutables” refers only to speeding
vehicles. This report also shows total volumes recorded for Camera A and Camera B of
the specific ASOD segment, allowing calculation of the percentage of vehicles
exceeding the speed limit.
Speed statistic reports, showing vehicle speeds for each vehicle recorded by ASOD
cameras. This report does not reflect the vehicle types but only categorises speeds into
the following speed (km/h) bins 60 – 80, 81 – 100, 101 – 120, 121 – 130, 131 – 140 and
> 140.
Evaluation of Safely Home Enforcement Activities: Evaluation Report 30
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
Monthly reports as prepared by the control room, summarising the number of infringements
by vehicle type. As shown in Figure 4-2, this TLE 001 form summarises:
Critical outcomes per type of vehicle e.g. number of vehicles stopped, roadblocks, etc.
Speed offences with highest speeds recorded per vehicle type
Infringements by type:
safely belts
reckless/negligent driving
moving violations
illegal use of cell phones
overloading
PrDPs
Public transport driving violations
Driver incidents (licenses, fraud, corruption)
Vehicle related incidents (number plates, lights, tyres and vehicle licenses)
The number of arrests by vehicle type and category of transgression.
Municipal traffic reports on the number of S341s recorded by the ASOD system. This
information records by date and per road segment, the number of:
notices
payments
withdrawals
untraceables
outstanding warrants
outstanding
guilty
unequal payment difference
The same TLE001 form is also used to summarise and document the number of visible
enforcement activities.
Evaluation of Safely Home Enforcement Activities: Evaluation Report 31
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
Figure 4-2: TLE001 Form submitted by control room for ASOD enforcement activities
Evaluation of Safely Home Enforcement Activities: Evaluation Report 32
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
4.3 Analysis of ASOD Enforcement Data
The following section summarises the analysis for ASOD enforcement data. Only key graphs have
been included in the report; additional graphs on ASOD analysis are included in Appendix A.
The ASOD system continuously flags both speed and other eNatis infringements. Figure 4-3
shows the total monthly infringements flagged since the first ASOD phase was implemented in
October 2011. It is clear that there has been a significant increase in the number of flagged
infringements and that these increases coincide with the implementation of Phase 2 in November
2012 and Phase 3 in December 2013.
Figure 4-3: The Number of Speed Infringements and eNatis Infringement Flagged by ASOD
Figure 4-3 also shows that there has been an increase in speed infringements, but this has not
been to the same degree as that of the eNatis infringements. eNatis flags vehicles that are stolen,
un-roadworthy, unlicensed, have number plate conflicts or are marked by SAPS. It also includes
vehicles that are not within eNatis. This high number of eNatis infringements is possibly an
indication of the lack of a law-abiding culture of South Africans and that this is extending into
vehicle registrations. On the other hand, it could also reflect on the problems experienced with the
eNatis database i.e. the accuracy and completeness of vehicle and vehicle ownership information.
Figure 4-4 shows the distribution of the different types of eNatis infringements flagged by the
ASOD system. In certain months, vehicles not within eNatis (eNot) have been as high as 60% of
the total infringements flagged.
Evaluation of Safely Home Enforcement Activities: Evaluation Report 33
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
Figure 4-4: Type of eNatis Infringement Flagged by ASOD
In Figure 4-5 and in Table 4-1 the actual number of written notices (S56s) issued are compared
with the total number of speeding Infringements flagged by the ASOD system. It is apparent that a
small portion of the total speeding infringements flagged was actually acted upon by issuing a
written notice (S56). Although there has in fact been an overall increase in the number of written
notices (S56’s) issued as a result of ASOD flags (Figure 4-6), the proportion to the total number of
vehicles flagged has declined across each of the three phases. In 2011 (Phase 1) an average of
9.9% of the total vehicles flagged for speeding were issued S56s, in 2012 (Phase 2) this figure
declined to 4.1% and in 2013 (Phase 3) it had decreased even further to 1.8%.
Figure 4-5: Total ASOD Speed Infringements Flagged vs. Written Notices (S56s) Issued
Evaluation of Safely Home Enforcement Activities: Evaluation Report 34
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
Table 4-1: Percentage of S56s Issued out of Total Speeding Infringements Flagged by ASOD
Phase
1
Phase
1 & 2
Phase
1, 2 & 3
Average number of speed infringements flagged by ASOD 1350 3334 8438
Average number of S56s issued from ASOD 134 136 155
Percentage 9.9% 4.1% 1.8%
Figure 4-6 shows the total number of written notices/S56s issued from ASOD per year since its
inception. There is a significant increase in the number of S56s issued in 2013 compared with
2012. Approximately 2 100 additional S56s were issued in 2013. This is to be expected since a
further phase of the ASOD was operational in 2013 compared to 2012.
Figure 4-6: Total Number of Annual Written Notices (S56s) Issued by ASOD
Figure 4-7 shows a comparison between the number of S56s issued as a result of ASOD and
those S56s issued by the Beaufort West Provincial Traffic Centre for other offences not necessarily
related to speeding. The ASOD S56s are a sub-set of the overall S56s issued by the traffic centre.
The data summarised in this graph shows that while there is a large monthly variation in the
number of S56s issued by the traffic centre, across the years they have remained relatively
constant. This finding is reinforced by the data summarised in Figure 3-7 which shows cumulative
monthly totals of S56s issued per year by the Beaufort West Traffic Centre to be similar for 2012
and 2013. The data summarised in Figure 4-8 is a subset of what is presented in Figure 4-7 and
shows only the S56s issued as a result of ASOD. The stepped increase in the number of S56s
issued from ASOD coinciding with the additional ASOD phases are clearly illustrated in this figure.
Evaluation of Safely Home Enforcement Activities: Evaluation Report 35
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
A possible concern is the overall decline in the number of S56s issued during the peak holiday
months.
Figure 4-7: Written Notices (S56s) from ASOD vs. from BW Provincial Traffic Centre
Figure 4-8: Number of Written Notices (S56s) Issued by ASOD
In Figure 4-9 and Figure 4-10 the same information i.e. Types of written notices (S56s) issued by
ASOD are presented. Figure 4-9 shows the percentage split per month of the type of S56s issued
while Figure 4-10 summarises it per annum. Speed and vehicle related incidents as expected from
ASOD tend to make up the bulk of the offences. However, from the summary in Figure 4-10 it is
evident that speed offences are proportionally decreasing. This may be either due to a reduction in
Evaluation of Safely Home Enforcement Activities: Evaluation Report 36
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
actual speeding offences or possibly an unconscious shift in enforcement focus to other offences
since it might be thought that speeding infringements can still be enforced with S341s fines.
Figure 4-9: Monthly Breakdown of the Types of Written Notices (S56s) Issued by ASOD
Figure 4-10: Annual Breakdown of the Types of Written Notices (S56s) Issued by ASOD
Evaluation of Safely Home Enforcement Activities: Evaluation Report 37
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
Figure 4-11 is based on data obtained from standard ASOD reports. Figure 4-11 and Figure 4-13
incorporate the total vehicles recorded by the ASOD cameras and the total speed infringements
flagged, which have been labelled “prosecutables” in the ASOD reports. These are used to
calculate the changes in the proportion of vehicles exceeding the speed limit. This trend in
vehicles exceeding the speed limit, also shown by vehicle type and ASOD enforcement segment,
is considered a good measure of driver behaviour and the number of drivers that are complying
with speed limits.
The raw data received from ASOD reporting when graphed, showed a gradual but distinct increase
in the number of vehicles exceeding the speed limit particularly for minibus taxis. On closer
investigation of the data and when comparing it to the CTO volumes over the same time-period, it
was concluded that there may have been some days when the ASOD equipment was possibly not
working. The data was normalised against the CTO traffic volumes. Figure 4-11 and Figure 4-13
show this normalised data for the percentage of vehicles exceeding the speed limit for Phase 1
and Phase 2 ASOD road sections.
On the R61, the graph shows an initial decline in the percentage of vehicles exceeding the speed
limit from about 7% in October 2011 to 4.7% in March 2012. However, a gradual growth to around
7% in January 2014 can be observed. This trend is particularly notable for minibus taxis as shown
in Figure 4-12 where between September 2011 and December 2013 the shift was from 0.4% to
3.4% of vehicles exceeding the speed limit.
Figure 4-11: Percentage of Vehicles Exceeding Speed Limit on R61 (ASOD Phase 1)
Evaluation of Safely Home Enforcement Activities: Evaluation Report 38
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
Figure 4-12: Minibus Taxis Exceeding the Speed Limit on R61
Figure 4-13 shows the percentage of vehicles exceeding the speed limit on the Phase 2 segment
of the N1/8, and is also displayed by type of vehicle. The data is available since November 2012
when the second phase was implemented. In this case the heavy and light vehicles show the
highest numbers exceeding the speed limit (ranging between 1-2 %) while minibus taxis and buses
are lowest (<1%). However, on average the profile of vehicles exceeding the speed limit on this
segment of road is a lot more constant than that on the R61.
Figure 4-13: Change in Vehicles Exceeding Speed Limit on N1/8 (ASOD Phase 2)
Evaluation of Safely Home Enforcement Activities: Evaluation Report 39
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
Figure 4-14 shows the lack of effectiveness of ASOD technology if visible enforcement does not
take place. It contains data on the number of S341s issued, which is the fine that is sent via the
post if an infringement is not immediately dealt with by issuing a S56 directly to the driver. The
graph shows the total procecutables from ASOD against the actual number of 341s issued,
outstanding payments and actual payments made for the first phase segment. There is a close
correlation between the initial procecutables identified and the 341s issued. The number of
payments outstanding is distinctly contrasting. This shows the overarching trend in payments that
started out at about 12% and increased up to 17% but is now at its lowest at 4% payment rate.
Figure 4-14: Comparison of Total Speeding Prosecutables, S341s Issued vs. Payments on
the R61
Interviews and anecdotal discussions indicate that there is a general perception that S341s is not a
very effective form of enforcement, and this is reinforced by the rapidly declining payment rate.
The 341 relies on the eNatis system to be up to date with driver address information. Many
people move and do not update their vehicle information or do not have fixed addresses
and therefore cannot be found.
Warrant of arrests are issued for unpaid and undisputed 341 fines, which must be issued in
person. Again, actually locating the drivers is difficult and requires scarce law enforcement
resources to be deployed to issue the warrants.
The legal system is already over-burdened and there are limited court dates available to
support these growing 341 traffic enforcements.
The initial positive effects of ASOD on drivers may not be sustained if there is not strong visible
enforcement together with a complementary judicial system offering zero tolerance.
Evaluation of Safely Home Enforcement Activities: Evaluation Report 40
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
4.4 Summary Findings on ASOD
What is Working?
ASOD technology successfully flags speed and eNatis infringements
Visible enforcement is more effective and directly targets transgressors since it is based on
ASOD flags.
Technology ensures speed enforcement over large sections rather than at single points,
which is the case when using manual cameras. This is more likely to shift driver behaviour
than manual speed enforcement, which creates responsive braking followed again by
accelerations in speed. Speeds are shown to be more consistent.
Utilising JIS/control room coordination and vehicle tracking to strategically deploy officers
when responding to ASOD flags is potentially more effective than without this smart
technology.
What are the gaps & weaknesses?
Errors are generated when technology reads number plates inaccurately. Large variations
are shown between first and second camera volumes as well as when compared to existing
CTO stations. If loop counters were installed at ASOD camera locations it would enable a
better error margins calculation.
Volumes of "hits" flagged infringements are too high for current staffing to manage.
Traffic officers in the field utilises the control room to access the eNatis database to verify
driver and vehicle registration information. Issuing S56s can therefore be time-consuming
to verify information. The control room also issues summons numbers and court dates.
S341s are generated on speed only, so the opportunity is wasted to issue other fines,
unless this is done manually.
S341s are not effective in altering driver behaviour. Enforcement is not immediate and thus
not seen as being an effective form of enforcement.
S341s have low payment rates as a result of problems with addresses and the judicial
system with regards to the availability of court dates and persons to issue warrants.
The additional ASOD phases have been generating significantly more hits but these new
phases were not supplemented by increased levels of staff.
Not all locations are covered due to lack of manpower. Currently only one location just
outside Beaufort West is used to enforce vehicles that are flagged by ASOD. Currently
outgoing N1-8, R61 and N12 are not covered.
There is iinsufficient staff which are adequately trained to man the Control Room 24 hours –
7 days a week. An increase in training and number of staffing is required.
The control room is typically manned by only one officer. This is inadequate to undertake
all tasks including reporting, deployment and following up on eNatis requests.
The Occurrence Book (OB) which is the “body of evidence” for the ASOD control room is
currently a handwritten manual process. This is problematic in that it brings in the
possibility for human error and does not allow for the easy analysis of data.
Evaluation of Safely Home Enforcement Activities: Evaluation Report 41
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
Not able to keep total number of hits or speed data by type of vehicle due some
confidentiality clause attached to the use of the data. This does not enable the recording of
average speeds.
Poor visibility and dirty number plates impact the number plate recognition increasing the
amount of “misreads” in the ASOD system.
The image taken by the ASOD camera is the front of the vehicle which includes the number
plate and driver. Visibility of the driver is poor, particularly at night when one cannot clearly
confirm the identity of the driver. This is problematic if a driver disputes that he was driving
at the time the S341 was issued.
Only limited data is reported direct ASOD system. Other reporting on enforcement from
ASOD is undertaken by the control room but monthly reports are captured into a form which
does not facilitate easy and continual analysis.
No Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for the ASOD control room regarding
prioritisation, deployment or reporting protocols.
Reporting procedures to be improved for more effective data and record keeping
Evaluation of Safely Home Enforcement Activities: Evaluation Report 42
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
5. EVALUATION OF WEIGHBRIDGE AND WEIGH-IN-MOTION
5.1 Overview of Weighbridge/WIM
The Beaufort West weighbridge is one of nine weighbridges in the Western Cape that are used to
enforce overloading control in the province. The Beaufort West weigh-in-motion (WIM) screening
and weighbridge is considered to be a smart enforcement tool that serves to support and facilitate
visible enforcement activities described in Chapter 3.
The Beaufort West weighbridge and WIM screening are located just north of the town along the N1
adjacent to the Provincial traffic department.
Figure 5-1: Location of Beaufort West Weighbridge and Provincial Traffic Department
Beaufort West is currently the only weighbridge
within the Western Cape Province that utilises
weigh-in-motion (WIM) technology. WIM is
designed to capture and record axle weights
and gross vehicle weights as vehicles drive over
a measurement site. Unlike static scales, WIM
systems are capable of measuring vehicles
travelling at a reduced or normal traffic speed
and do not require the vehicle to come to a
complete stop. This makes the weighing
process more efficient since it allows for trucks
under the weight limit to bypass static scales or
inspection.
Photo Image 5-1: Weigh-in-motion and road signage in Beaufort West
Evaluation of Safely Home Enforcement Activities: Evaluation Report 43
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
Vehicles are screened at the WIM scales for possible overloading. Based on this initial screen
weigh, they are directed with the use of traffic signals, either to bypass the weighbridge, or to turn
off into the static weighbridge for a more accurate weighing. At this point the accuracy of WIM
technology has not been approved by the judicial system and overloading infringements can
currently only be issued based on the static or stationary scales contained within the weighbridge.
Although WIM is currently only used as an initial screening tool, it still significantly improves the
effectiveness of overloading enforcement since it screens out the portion of heavy vehicles that are
clearly not overloaded. The accuracy of WIM technology has been improving over the years and it
is possible that fines could be issued directly from WIM sometime in the future.
Photo Image 5-2: Weighbridge, weigh-software showing weight on various axels and fine
options
Photo Image 5-3: Vehicles are given an opportunity to correct their load before reweighing
Evaluation of Safely Home Enforcement Activities: Evaluation Report 44
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
There are a number of overloading charges that can be issued, based on the actual overloaded
weight to the distribution over individual axles. Fines are issued based on the heavy vehicle’s first
weigh, after which they are given an opportunity to correct their load via either redistribution or off-
loading the overloaded portion of their consignment. A number of specialised service providers
including road haulage and rentable storage units have begun to strategically locate in close
proximity to the weighbridge responding to the need to “correcting loads”.
The weighbridge is operated by a private service provider on behalf of the Western Cape
Government. It is supposed to be operational 24-7 but due to limitations in the Beaufort West
Traffic resourcing there is not always adequate manpower to have the required traffic officer on
duty at the weighbridge. Although the service provider undertakes and manages the weighing
process, a traffic officer is always required when overloading or other RTQS written notices are
issued. Vehicles weighed are also checked in eNatis with the assistance of the control room for
RTQS compliance.
5.2 Weighbridge/WIM Data Available
The data on overloaded vehicles are recorded in the Beaufort West Weighbridge Software that is
housed in the weighbridge and managed by the service provider. Daily reports are generated and
included in the daily, weekly and monthly RTMC and TLE001 reports prepared by Provincial
Beaufort West Traffic. The weighbridge statistics per day as per Table 5-1 include:
Date and Day
Hours weighbridge is operational including first weigh and last reweigh
Number of weighs
Number of normal weighs
Number of reweighs
Number over-or-under loaded
Number charged
Weigh rate per hour
The number of weighbridge hours is recorded and reported as part of the Beaufort West Traffic
Centre and regional performance targets.
Table 5-1: Format of Weighbridge Monthly Report
Hours Weigh
Opera- Rate
tional [Veh/h]
First Last Last Normal Re- Under/
Weigh Normal Reweigh Weighs weighs Over-
Weigh loads
01-Jan-10 Fri 00:00 00:00 00:00 00:00 0 0 0 0 0 0
02-Jan-10 Sat 00:01 23:43 23:43 00:00 1 1 0 1 0 1
03-Jan-10 Sun 05:04 00:21 05:24 00:00 13 13 0 5 1 2.6
04-Jan-10 Mon 17:10 06:45 23:54 22:01 181 167 14 42 9 10.5
05-Jan-10 Tue 23:58 00:00 23:58 22:55 561 540 21 121 13 23.4
06-Jan-10 Wed 23:59 00:00 23:58 23:45 470 446 24 112 13 19.6
07-Jan-10 Thu 23:45 00:14 23:59 23:51 553 515 38 133 18 23.3
08-Jan-10 Fri 23:59 00:01 23:59 22:46 418 397 21 89 11 17.4
09-Jan-10 Sat 23:51 00:00 23:50 22:08 461 438 23 87 7 19.3
10-Jan-10 Sun 23:48 00:05 23:53 23:50 363 339 24 97 14 15.2
11-Jan-10 Mon 23:53 00:06 23:59 23:58 259 242 17 81 8 10.8
12-Jan-10 Tue 23:57 00:01 23:58 22:22 630 603 27 136 16 26.3
13-Jan-10 Wed 23:58 00:02 23:59 22:46 610 571 39 133 17 25.4
14-Jan-10 Thu 23:59 00:01 23:59 22:39 654 616 38 130 14 27.3
Date Day
Time of Totals
Weighs Charged
Evaluation of Safely Home Enforcement Activities: Evaluation Report 45
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
5.3 Weighbridge Data Analysis
Figure 5-2 shows total volumes of heavy vehicles passing the weighbridge along the N1 and
compares them to the number of heavy vehicles weighed (failing the initial weight screening). The
heavy vehicle volumes have been sourced from the CTO station located outside the weighbridge.
It shows a steady growth in heavy vehicle volumes since 2007. There are on average about 1 500
vehicles per day or 45 000 per month travelling along the N1. The graph also shows the number of
vehicles weighed in the weighbridge, which on average are around 500 per day or 15 000 per
month. The rate of heavy vehicles weighed compared with the total heavy vehicles passing the
weighbridge has increased with time. This indicates that the weighbridge has become more
efficient, weighing more vehicles.
Figure 5-2: Comparison of Vehicle Volumes versus Weighed Volumes
The weighbridge is supposed to be operational 24 hours a day and seven days a week. Figure 5-3
compares available weighbridge hours with actual operational hours. Currently, due to manpower
issues, the weighbridge is not operational throughout the year. Decembers are the most
problematic with fewer operational weighbridge hours. This is likely because there is a strong
focus on other visible enforcement efforts during these holiday months, leaving fewer resources for
the weighbridge.
Evaluation of Safely Home Enforcement Activities: Evaluation Report 46
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
Figure 5-3: Weighbridge Operating Hours per Month
Figure 5-4 shows the rate at which vehicles are weighed per hour. This is calculated by dividing the
total number of heavy vehicles weighed by the hours of operation. The weigh rate has been
steadily increasing at a rate of about 6.1% per year, again indicating that the operations are
becoming more efficient over time.
Figure 5-4: Weigh Rate per Hour
Evaluation of Safely Home Enforcement Activities: Evaluation Report 47
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
Figure 5-5 shows the total number of heavy vehicles that are charged with overloading per month.
The general trend indicates that fewer vehicles are being charged with overloading, which
suggests an improvement in the behaviour and attitude of trucking companies and truck drivers.
Figure 5-5: Total Number of Vehicles Charged with Overloading Per Month
Buses are also weighed at the weighbridge and charged if found to be overloaded. Buses can be
considered overloaded because of too many passengers or in actual weighed weight. The limits
are based on both the manufacturer’s specifications as well as South African road standards for
overloading. Figure 5-6 shows the number of buses weighed and the number of buses
overloaded. This graph follows similar trends of other heavy vehicles in that there has been an
increase in the number of buses weighed with fewer overloaded buses.
Evaluation of Safely Home Enforcement Activities: Evaluation Report 48
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
Figure 5-6: Number of Buses Weighed and Overloaded
Although road accident data is covered in a later section, Figure 5-7 has been included to show the
number of fatal accidents involving heavy vehicles and buses on the study area roads (ASOD
sections on R61 and N1). It is assumed that better enforcement of overloading occurs as a result
of the weighbridge. This assumption is supported by the fact that an increased number of vehicles
were weighed, with fewer overloading charges. The number of fatal crashes involving heavy
vehicles and buses appears to be steadily declining since 2007. This could be as a result of the
enforcement efforts at the weighbridges.
Figure 5-7: Number of Fatal Crashes Involving Heavy Vehicles and Buses
Evaluation of Safely Home Enforcement Activities: Evaluation Report 49
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
5.4 Summary Findings on Weighbridge/WIM
What is Working?
An increased number of heavy vehicles and buses are weighed.
The number of overloaded vehicles has been decreasing.
WIM technology undertakes initial screening of possibly overloaded vehicles, greatly
improving the efficiency of the weighbridge since it no longer requires all heavy vehicles to
be weighed, targeting enforcement activities.
The ssafety of traffic officers is now greatly increased with the advent of the WIM since
they are no longer required to manually direct vehicles into the weighbridge as is still the
practice at other weighbridges in the province where WIM screening is not present.
WIM technology and signage allows for 24 hour weighbridge operations while at
weighbridges where no WIM is present, the safety of traffic officers after dark is a serious
consideration and does not support 24 hour operations.
Access to eNatis via the JIS control room also ensures not only overloading
enforcement,but other RTQS enforcement, such as roadworthy, stolen vehicles, etc.
Software allows for automated reporting
What are the gaps & weaknesses?
The initial WIM screening is currently directing many more vehicles into the weighbridge for
weighing than are actually charged with overloading. The sensitivity on the WIM screening
could possibly be adjusted to reduce the margin of error between the screened vehicles
and the overloading charges.
Not all heavy vehicles automatically abide with WIM signals directing them into the
weighbridge. Currently a traffic officer is still required to enforce compliance of heavy
vehicles signalled into the weighbridge. Due to resource limitations there is not always an
officer available at this post which means that some overloaded vehicles could bypass the
weighbridge. This could be solved with the installation of a camera at the WIM site which
would support enforcement by issuing a S341 for not adhering to the traffic signals.
However the size of the fine is smaller for this type of offence than for overloading and
heavy vehicles may consciously disobey the WIM traffic signals.
There are a number of fines that can be issued within the weighbridge which used to be
issued at the discretion of the traffic officer. Now all possible fines are issued.
24-7 operating hours for the weighbridge is resource-intensive and they are currently not
making their target operational hours.
Overweight public transport vehicles are problematic since passenger facilities are not
catered for in cases where vehicles are impounded or discontinued.
Weighbridge data is only kept to report on traffic centre and regional weighbridge
operational hour targets. Data is not automatically analysed as part of a continuous
improvement programme.
Evaluation of Safely Home Enforcement Activities: Evaluation Report 50
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
Reporting and record keeping protocols are not in place for consistent levels of data and
reports for weighbridges across the province.
There are no standard procedures on dealing with the heavy vehicles that are not adhering
to WIM signals. Currently these transgressors are supposed to be chased down and
directed back to the weighbridge, creating a challenge when trying to get heavy vehicles to
turn on the freeway. Also the traffic officer on duty in the weighbridge would typically be
occupied with enforcement of the heavy vehicles in the weighbridge and not be available to
chase after those heavy vehicles that do not adhere to the WIM signals.
Currently there is no method to record the number of these heavy vehicles that are
disobeying the WIM signals and the extent of these transgressors cannot be ascertained.
Evaluation of Safely Home Enforcement Activities: Evaluation Report 51
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
6. EVALUATION OF KEY INDICATORS
Speed and road accidents are deemed useful indicators to assess road safety conditions and are
used to measure whether there have been any significant changes since the introduction of the
enforcement i.e. both smart and visible aspects of Safely Home. Positive changes within these
indicators could be correlated with positive changes in driver behaviour, which is the overarching
aim of traffic enforcement.
Although traffic volume is not a direct indicator of road safety, it has been included in this section
since it provides a useful context for the possible changes noted in speed and accident indicators
i.e. higher number of vehicles exceeding the speed limit or higher road accidents could be as a
result higher traffic volumes.
6.1 Traffic Volumes
The traffic statistics were sourced from Syntell, CTO traffic stations. Table 6-1 shows the lists of
the CTO stations within the study area, while Table 6-2 shows the non-ASOD locations utilised as
control sites outside the study area. Not all CTO sites were usable, either due to lack of
information, or it being too close to town boundaries where travel speeds were already reduced.
Table 6-1: List of CTO Stations in Study Area
No. Site Description Type Route KM Long. Lat. Speed Limit Owner
480 Between Beaufort West and Nelspoort
Permanent Piezo N1/8 4.0 22.59889 -32.3267 120 SANRAL
5070 S-bound Screener Station at B West Weigh Bridge
Permanent WIM N1/8 3.6 22.59453 -32.3286 60 PGWC
5071 N-bound Screener Station at BWest Weigh Bridge
Permanent WIM N1/8 3.0 22.58869 -32.3308 60 PGWC
5026 R381 between Loxton & Beaufort West Permanent R 381 0.5 22.58470 -32.3292 100 PGWC
1229 North of Prince Albert rd Town Permanent N1/5 0.2 21.68464 -32.9849 80 SANRAL
5016 Between Beaufort West and Aberdeen Permanent R 61 51.6 23.03987 -32.5640 120 PGWC
5055 Between Beaufort West & Aberdeen (at EC Border) Permanent R 61 74.0 23.29622 -32.5779 120 PGWC
Source: Syntell, 2014
The data categories include:
Total traffic volumes by:
lane
direction
heavy and light vehicle type
Average speed
o Lane
o direction
o by heavy and light vehicle types
o 85th percentile speed
Evaluation of Safely Home Enforcement Activities: Evaluation Report 52
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
Traffic volumes were obtained and analysed for the permanent station CTO 5016, which is located
on the R61, midway on the Phase 1 ASOD section. CTO counts were also sourced for three
additional non-ASOD control sites, elsewhere within the Province, to compare traffic volumes and
speeds at those locations not directly affected by the ASOD implementation.
Only a few of the traffic volume graphs prepared have been included in this section. Additional
graphs are shown in Annexure A.
Table 6-2: List of CTO Stations used as Non-ASOD Control Sites
No. Site Description Type Route KM Long. Lat.
Speed Limit Owner
306 Touwsrivier North Permanent N1/4 9.4 20.105749 -33.28607 120 SANRAL
5050
Between Langebaan and Velddrif Permanent R27 109.8 18.111111 -33.03555 120 PGWC
715
Between Swellendam and Heidelberg Permanent N2/5 11.2 20.560583 -34.04100 120 SANRAL
Source: Syntell, 2014
There has been an overall growth in traffic volumes throughout the province since 2007. Figure
6-1 shows the AADT for the three control sites including the N1 at Touwsrivier, N2 between
Swellendam and Heidelberg and R27 between Langebaan and Velddrif.
Figure 6-1: Average Daily Traffic per month at non-ASOD Controlled Sites
Evaluation of Safely Home Enforcement Activities: Evaluation Report 53
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
This trend of increasing traffic volumes is also reflected in the study area. Figure 6-2 shows the
ADT traffic volumes for the CTO station located on the R61, which coincides with the Phase 1
ASOD section. The graph reflects traffic volume data from 2007 to 2013. Although there appears
to be a slightly slower growth rate for some years, which is probably due to the economic crisis,
there was an overall increase in traffic volumes of approximately 2% p.a. From the graph, it also
seems that the growth rate is starting to increase again after 2012. This growth in traffic volumes
can be noted for both weekdays and weekends (see Appendix A). December and January show
significantly higher traffic volumes due to peak seasonal holiday traffic over these months.
There is no reason why the traffic volumes should be different before or after the implementation of
ASOD in 2011 since there are not really any reasonable alternative routes to R61 for vehicles
trying to avoid the ASOD sections.
Figure 6-2: Average Daily Traffic per month on ASOD Controlled R61
Figure 6-3 displays the light and heavy vehicle volumes on the R61. There is a 60:40 split
between the numbers of light and heavy vehicles. The numbers of heavy vehicles are also
growing on this Phase 1 section of ASOD controlled road.
Evaluation of Safely Home Enforcement Activities: Evaluation Report 54
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
Figure 6-3 Monthly Traffic Volumes for R61 by Heavy and Light Vehicle Types
6.1.1 Summary Findings of Traffic Volumes
Traffic volumes along the sections included in the ASOD programme are not affected by
the ASOD implementation
The weekend, weekday and distinctive seasonal traffic volume trends remain unaffected by
ASOD.
The 80:20 traffic split between light and heavy vehicles travelling along the R61 has
remained unchanged.
6.2 Speed
High speeds are often associated with more accidents, and specifically with more fatal crashes.
This section evaluates the changes in speeds before and after the implementation of ASOD.
Changes in vehicle speeds were evaluated using average speeds, 85th percentile speeds and the
percentage of vehicles exceeding the speed limit. The changes in speeds were further evaluated
by comparing the speeds along the ASOD sections with speeds at non-ASOD sections. The 85th
percentile and average speed comparison between the R61 ASOD section and three non-ASOD
sections are shown in the following graphs. Additional speed analysis graphs are also included in
Appendix A.
Overall speeds tend to be higher on the R61 than all the other control sites. One can also note a
dramatic and significant decline in average speeds on the R61 pre- and post-ASOD with standard
deviation approximately half of what it was pre-ASOD, which means that speeds have not only
decreased, but there is also less variation in the range of speed travelled. This is attributed to the
fact that with the automated enforcement of ASOD, more people are travelling at the same speed
over a longer distance and there is less need for faster vehicles to pass slower ones. Passing
Evaluation of Safely Home Enforcement Activities: Evaluation Report 55
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
traffic would in contrast be characterised by higher ranges of speed with the acceleration and
deceleration required when passing.
Slower and more constant speed with less passing manoeuvres all contribute towards a safer road
environment since there are fewer opportunities for vehicle conflicts. Accidents that do occur at
slower speeds will logically have fewer fatalities and serious injuries than accidents taking place at
higher speeds.
When comparing 85th percentile speed for the non-ASOD control sites on the N1 at Touwsrivier
and R27 at Langebaan, speed data interestingly also shows a steady decline since 2007.
However, it is noted that this speed decrease is much smoother with a less distinct stepped decline
in speeds experienced post-ASOD on the R61.
Figure 6-4: 85th Percentile Speeds at non-ASOD controlled Roads.
Evaluation of Safely Home Enforcement Activities: Evaluation Report 56
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
Figure 6-5: 85th Percentile Speeds on ASOD controlled R61.
Figure 6-6: Average Speed on non-ASOD controlled Roads.
Evaluation of Safely Home Enforcement Activities: Evaluation Report 57
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
Figure 6-7: Average Speed on ASOD controlled R61.
6.2.1 Summary Findings on Speed
The ASOD cameras implemented on the R61 made a drastic impact in reducing the 85th
percentile speeds along this road.
The non-ASOD control sites on the N1 at Touwsrivier, R27 at Langebaan and N2 at
Swellendam, also show a reduction in 85th percentile speeds, however these speeds have
been in a steady decline since 2007.
A similar trend is seen when assessing the impact of the ASOD cameras on average
speeds.
However the ASOD impact to average speeds is not as drastic as the 85th percentile
speeds. This means that the ASOD cameras are reasonably effective in changing the
behaviour of those vehicles travelling in excess of the speed limit, while those drivers who
tend to drive slower, continue to do so.
The standard deviation in speeds post-ASOD on the R61 is approximately half of what it
was pre-ASOD which means that not only have vehicle speeds decreased, but there is also
less variation in the range of speeds travelled. This is attributed to the fact that vehicles are
travelling at the same speed over a longer distance and there is less need for faster
vehicles to pass slower ones.
Before the implementation of ASOD on the R61, vehicles were travelling at slightly higher
speeds on weekends than on weekdays, with both increasing steadily from 2007 to 2011.
It is evident that drivers have acknowledged the introduction of ASOD, as weekend and
weekday speeds are now at similar levels.
It can be concluded that the ASOD has had a significant and positive effect on reducing the
number of vehicles travelling in excess of the speed limit.
Evaluation of Safely Home Enforcement Activities: Evaluation Report 58
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
6.3 Road Accidents
Changes in the number and type of road crash accidents are considered one of the most
significant statistics for this Safely Home enforcement evaluation. The WCG’s Strategic Objective
Three (PSO3), and therefore also the Safely Home Programme’s, target is to achieve a:
“50% reduction in road crash fatalities by the end of 2014”
6.3.1 Sources of Road Accident Data
Three sources of accident statistics are available.
Provincial Accident Statistics (iPas) is considered to be the official and ratified source
for accident data in the province. This database is for all accidents recorded and fed
through the South African Police Service (SAPS). All data is not consistently captured,
but the type of data categories recorded include:
Accident Number Authority
Road Name SAPS Case No.
Road Description Vehicle Reference No.
Node Description Vehicle Type
Km Value Number Plate
Police Station Type of Manoeuvre
Date of Accident Travel Direction
Day of the Week Person Type (driver, etc.)
Time Type of Injuries
Obstructions Population Group
Road Type Gender
Sign Visibility Age
Type of Accident Liquor Suspected
Cause of Accident Liquor Tested
The local traffic department also records accident data daily which is for accidents for
which traffic is on-scene. This list is also kept up-to-date with all other accidents by
telephonically liaising with the local SAPS office. This database of accidents is then
also sent on to SANRAL for their record of accidents on national roads.
Route, section, kilometre Vehicle Type
Date and time of Accident Injury severity
Cause of Accident
Forensic pathology via the Medical Research Council (MRC) records fatalities caused
by transport.
Route, section, kilometre Vehicle Type
Evaluation of Safely Home Enforcement Activities: Evaluation Report 59
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
Date and time of Accident No. of Victims
Cause of Accident Race, age, gender
Table 6-3: Accident Data Source Comparison
The change in the number of accidents from road crashes is an important indicator to measure the
effectiveness of Safely Home enforcement efforts. As discussed previously in Chapter 4: Data and
Statistics, there are various sources of accident data available i.e. iPas, SANRAL routine
maintenance, the Provincial Traffic Department in Beaufort West as well as the forensic pathology
unit in EMS which records only fatal crashes and fatalities. Even though there has been focus
since 2010 to improve the accuracy of accident data, there are still discrepancies and
inconsistencies between the various data sources, as can be seen in Figure 6-8. A number of
comparisons between the data sources were carried out, the results of which can be found in the
Appendices.
It was noted that out of all the available data sources, the IPAS data had the longest time frame,
least amount of missing data, fewest discrepancies and was the most complete and easy to work
with data source.
Figure 6-8: Comparison of Data Sources: Fatalities for Decembers and Januaries for the
N1- 6/7/8
Evaluation of Safely Home Enforcement Activities: Evaluation Report 60
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
6.3.2 Analysis of Road Accidents
The analysis of road accidents was carried out using mainly iPas data and supplemented with the
other three sources. The number of road crashes, fatal crashes and fatalities, as well as their
respective rates, were analysed over time in order to identify any trends. It must be noted that each
road accident is an independent and random event in time and so, theoretically, straight lines
should not be joined between the data points on the graph. However, in order to easily identify
trends, lines were indeed added between the data points in the figures that follow.
Figure 6-9 show the number of annual road accident crashes for five stretches of road, three of
which are ASOD-controlled and two of which are not. It is interesting to note that all the roads have
shown a decrease in the total number of road accident crashes within the last three years, and so it
is possible that the decrease in road crash accidents is independent of ASOD. This fact is further
backed up by Figure 6-10, where the crash rate on the R61 can be seen to be decreasing from
2009 i.e. before the implementation of ASOD.
Figure 6-9: Total Annual Road Accident Crashes along Three ASOD-Controlled Roads and
Two Control Sites – R27 and N2/5
Evaluation of Safely Home Enforcement Activities: Evaluation Report 61
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
Figure 6-10: Three-Year Moving Average Road Accident Crash Rate along ASOD-Controlled
Roads
There may be discrepancies within the method of data capturing when recording what is classified
as a road accident crash. It is much easier to classify a fatal crash, and so the analysis of fatal
crashes can provide a better indication of road safety analysis.
Figure 6-11: Annual Fatal Crashes along Three ASOD-Controlled Roads and Two Control
Sites – R27 and N2/5
It is evident that the number of fatal crashes along a road segment is a random event and so it may
be difficult to identify trends. However, it can be seen, in the last three years, that all the road
segments show a decrease in the number of annual fatal crashes.
Evaluation of Safely Home Enforcement Activities: Evaluation Report 62
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
Figure 6-12, Figure 6-13 and Figure 6-14 indicate that there has been a dramatic decline in the
number of fatal and serious injuries, as well as the rate of fatal crashes along the R61 since the
implementation of ASOD.
Figure 6-12: 3-Year Moving Average Fatal Crash Rate along ASOD-Controlled Roads
Figure 6-13: Number of Fatalities and Fatal Crashes along the R61
Evaluation of Safely Home Enforcement Activities: Evaluation Report 63
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
Figure 6-14: Total Annual Fatalities and Serious Injuries along R61
6.3.3 Summary Findings of Road Accidents
The four available data sources had numerous inconsistencies and discrepancies between
them, possibly due to the method of data capture, storage and management. It was thus
decided to use the most complete and workable data source when evaluating the road
accident statistics.
Within the last three years, along all five road segments analysed, there seems to be a
reduction in both the total number of annual road accident crashes as well as the number of
fatal crashes. This may indicate a positive shift in the provincial mind-set about road safety.
However, when focusing on the fatal crashes along the ASOD-controlled R61, a dramatic
decline in road crash rates, fatal crash rates and fatality rates is observed. This trend is
replicated when looking at the fatalities and serious injuries in Figure 6-14, where the
ASOD seems to be responsible for reducing the number of fatalities and serious injuries.
Figure 6-14 combines the annual fatalities and serious injuries on all the ASOD-controlled
roads. By looking at the downward trend on the graph, it can be said that these roads have
already been becoming safer since 2007. The introduction of ASOD in 2011, 2012 and
2013 to these roads further facilitated this downward trend.
In summary it can be said that there has been positive change on the R61 with regards to
the number of fatal crashes, fatalities and serious injuries. This is likely due to the
decrease in the number of vehicles exceeding the speed limit as a result of ASOD.
There is not enough post-ASOD data available for the analysis of the road accidents within
the road sections for Phase 1 and Phase 2 of ASOD. At least three year post-
implementation data is needed to draw conclusions.
Evaluation of Safely Home Enforcement Activities: Evaluation Report 64
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
7. EVALUATION AND GENERAL TRENDS
7.1 Overall Reduction in Speed
There is an overall decline in speeds throughout the Western Cape Province as illustrated in the
85th percentile speed graph for control sites located on the N1/4, R27 and N2/5.
There is a distinct decline in speed, specifically for road segments where ASOD has been applied,
which can be noted from the graph illustrating the 85th percentile speed on the R61.
Speeds are more constant once ASOD has been introduced, which is noted particularly for the
changes in standard deviation, it being approximately one-half of what it was prior to ASOD.
Evaluation of Safely Home Enforcement Activities: Evaluation Report 65
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
7.2 Overall Reduction the Number of Accidents
There is an overall decline in the number of road accidents and in particular, the number of fatal
crashes throughout the Western Cape Province, as illustrated in the annual fatal crashes graph for
control sites located on the N1/4, R27 and N2/5.
There is a distinct decline in fatal crashes specifically for the R61 where ASOD has been
implemented (graph below shows the three year moving average of fatal crash rates on the R61).
However, decline occurs prior to Phase 1 ASOD, which could indicate that the decline occurred as
a result of other road safety awareness campaigns and enforcement activities and not due to
ASOD alone.
Evaluation of Safely Home Enforcement Activities: Evaluation Report 66
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
7.3 Resource Levels have been Relatively Constant
The total number of written notices i.e. number of S56s issued by Beaufort West Provincial Traffic
remained relatively constant since ASOD was implemented.
Although written notices for the Beaufort West Traffic Centre have remained relatively constant,
there has been a specific increase in the number of written notices (S56s) issued from ASOD as
noted from the graph below.
Evaluation of Safely Home Enforcement Activities: Evaluation Report 67
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
This increase in the number of ASOD written notices correlates to the new ASOD phases that were
implemented.
There appears to be an overall decline in the speed written notices as compared to other written
notices issued by ASOD.
Evaluation of Safely Home Enforcement Activities: Evaluation Report 68
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
7.4 Weighbridge is becoming more effective
The weighbridge with the WIM screening is weighing more vehicles per hour as shown in the
weigh rate graph below.
As illustrated in the graph below, the number of heavy vehicles charged with overloading per
month has been steadily declining over time.
Evaluation of Safely Home Enforcement Activities: Evaluation Report 69
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
7.5 Resources affect ASOD enforcement
There are significantly more speed infringements flagged with each phase of ASOD, but the
number of speed related written notices (S56s) have remained relatively constant. Additional
resources could enable more effective visible enforcement of ASOD technology.
7.6 Possible reversal in positive shift in driver behaviour
Although speed and accident data shows an overall decline over the past few years, it is possible
that this positive shift in driver behaviour could be reversed if not supported by a strong visible
policing presence and an effective legal system.
The graphs below illustrate the percentage of vehicles exceeding the speed limit on the R61 where
ASOD has been implemented since October 2011. Although overall the graph shows an initial
decline in the number of vehicles exceeding the speed limit, closer investigation shows that there is
a steady increase in the number of minibus taxis exceeding the speed limit.
There is also a decline in the payment rate of S341, which supports the anecdotal view that S341s
do not work as an enforcement tool. The gradual increase in vehicles exceeding the speed limit
might be more notably for minibus taxis since they use the routes on a regular basis and would be
the first to reflect driver behaviour changes if they no longer perceived ASOD effectiveness.
Evaluation of Safely Home Enforcement Activities: Evaluation Report 70
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
Evaluation of Safely Home Enforcement Activities: Evaluation Report 71
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
Evaluation of Safely Home Enforcement Activities: Evaluation Report 72
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
8. RECOMMENDATIONS
There is evidence based on the results of this study that the visible and smart enforcement
activities in the Beaufort West study area as part of Safely Home are impacting on user and driver
behaviour. Not only has there been a decrease in vehicle speeds on the road segments along
which ASOD was implemented, but there has also been a decrease in the number of accidents,
specifically fatal accidents. This is particularly the case along the R61 where ASOD has been
implemented for the longest period of time. However, reductions in speeds and accidents are not
only experienced along the study sections, but are evident on roadways across the province. This
could be due to a general increase in safety awareness, which ultimately affects driver behaviour.
It is clear from the evaluation that there are possible actions that could improve the effectiveness of
the technology related enforcement activities. The following are recommended for each of the
stated conclusions:
Visible Enforcement supporting enforcement technologies and specifically ASOD
Any implementation of smart enforcement technology such as ASOD should continuously
be supported by visible enforcement activities.
Preferably a dedicated team should be assigned to the enforcement of ASOD. This
includes both staff manning the back office/control room and traffic officers in the field.
Continuous training for control room operators and traffic officers must be included in the
planning.
It is unlikely that the success of ASOD is sustainable without continuous visible
enforcement. Moreover it could be a challenge to reverse public opinion once a perception
is established that ASOD is not effectively enforced. Therefore, it is advisable that the
recommended visible enforcement actions are pursued as soon as possible.
Human resources requirements related to ASOD in the Beaufort West Area
The ASOD implementation in the Beaufort West study area requires higher and more
consistent levels of visible enforcement.
The optimal resource requirements (traffic officers and control room operators) for the
Beaufort West Area to optimally support the ASOD must be investigated.
Additional staffing is required to support the 24-hour operations of both the weighbridge and
ASOD.
It is essential that the human resources requirements be taken into consideration as a
matter of course when ASOD is implemented anywhere in the province. ASOD should not
be implemented unless suitable levels of resourcing are possible.
Enforcement Strategies within the larger context of the Safely Home Project
It is evident that there are broader province-wide trends in average speeds, possibly also
accident trends, which are not specifically related to enforcement technologies. Therefore, it
is recommended that enforcement activities not be evaluated in isolation without
considering the larger context.
Evaluation of Safely Home Enforcement Activities: Evaluation Report 73
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
Public awareness and driver communication plays a vital role which could be achieved with:
Variable Message Signs advertising accidents, fatalities and speeding statistics for
an area and a period.
Advertising campaigns to communicate ASOD as an enforcement tool including all
positive impacts.
Improved visibility of ASOD cameras by adding more signage and/or lighting.
Possible use of “dummy cameras” along sections where there is not ASOD.
Targeted or tailored enforcement actions and education of specific driver profiles:
e.g. race, age, sex.
Evaluation of data and actions must be automatic and continuous:
Data collection, reporting and evaluation of data should be conducted continuously,
which could be done by automated reporting and compiling.
Localised and internal evaluation of the performance statistics should be tracked
automatically and continually rather than focusing only on regional/provincial targets
or peak December/January periods.
Data and Reporting Needs
Improve the capturing, management and storage of data by making the process more
streamlined and by automating it. This is to be done in all areas including the Beaufort
West Provincial Traffic Centre, the Weighbridge and the ASOD Control Room.
Data should be entered into relational databases, set up such that reports can be provided
on demand. This will require training of personnel.
Improve the quality and accuracy of eNatis data.
Develop a method for prioritisation for ASOD infringements flagged. The infringements
flagged by the ASOD system should be disaggregated by severity so that staff can prioritize
which infringements should be focussed on.
The nature of the confidentiality agreements with eNatis is limiting the type of data that can
be kept and does not allow for an accurate review of speed changes on ASOD segments.
Any changes to these agreements will assist in improving reviews.
Standard protocols for ASOD
Prioritisation of enforcement activities is required to resolve which ASOD flagged
infringements should be actioned first and which are non-negotiable arrests.
Protocols are required to standardise ASOD enforcement across the province.
Data capturing and reporting must be standardised across the province to assist with
continuous analysis and evaluation.
Evaluation of Safely Home Enforcement Activities: Evaluation Report 74
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
Additional Improvements to ASOD Equipment
Include permanent vehicle loop counters at both ASOD cameras to cross check accuracy
of the equipment.
Include camera that captures photo image of the driver of the vehicle. Visibility of both
driver and number plates should be possible after dark as well.
Improvement to Supporting Systems and Processes
Review how the legal/court system can be more effective in processing and addressing
S341s.
Update eNatis agreements and data to enable more effective ASOD functioning and
reporting.
Evaluation of Safely Home Enforcement Activities: Evaluation Report 75
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd
9. REFERENCES
South African Government, 1999, National Road Traffic Act, No 93 of 1996
Western Cape Government, 2010, Provincial Strategic Objective 3: Increasing Access to Safe and
Efficient Transport - Programme Definition
Western Cape Government, July 2010, Cabinet Approval Minute No 194/2010, Provincial Strategic
Objective 3: Moving the Western Cape Forward – Increasing Access to Safe and Efficient
Transport: Approval of the Strategic Directive, its Implementation and Management
University of Cape Town, December 2010, Phase II Baseline Study
ITS Engineers (Pty) Ltd