A Bill passed on Wednesday by the National Assembly will allow driving licences to be suspended for excessive speeding on South Africa’s roads.
The National Road Traffic Amendment Bill fixes a speed of 30km/h above the limit in an urban setting at which the suspension will kick in. On a rural highway a licence will be suspended if the driver goes faster than 40km/h above the limit.
The Bill also lays down rules to be observed nationally by the traffic police. They include the wearing of name badges.
The Bill was one of three Bills affecting transport that passed the house. They included one amending the National Railway Safety Regulator Act, which expands the role of the regulator to include more modern railway vehicles such as monorails, trams and magnetic rail systems.
The last one to pass was the Legal Succession to the South African Transport Services Amendment bill. This sets up a passenger rail agency that will subsume the South African Rail Commuter Corporation, Metrorail and the long-distance Shosholoza Meyl, so that there will be only one passenger rail body accountable to the transport minister. It will also include the AutoPax long-distance bus system.
All three Bills passed without dissent, and have been sent to the National Council of Provinces for concurrence. — I-net Bridge