Moves to reserve the N1 highway’s right-hand lane between Johannesburg and Pretoria for high-occupancy vehicles were off to an uncertain start on Monday morning, metro police said.
Spokesperson Inspector Edna Mamonyane said most motorists are still unaware that the fast lane has been reserved for vehicles with three or more occupants.
”We still have a long way to go because a lot of people are using the high-occupancy lane even though they are travelling alone.”
Mamonyane said no penalties will be imposed until all motorists have been made aware of the campaign.
Transport Minister Jeff Radebe joined the metro police team at the Allandale offramp in Midrand where he issued pamphlets to passing motorists.
”Some people told the minister that they will think about getting people to ride with them to avoid driving alone,” Mamonyane said.
The experiment to reserve the right-hand lane for vehicles with three or more occupants began on Monday and will continue until Friday.
It will apply to the south-bound highway from 6am to 9am and switch to the north-bound highway in the afternoon, between 3pm and 6pm. — Sapa