It’s back-to-school soon and, with it, the roads get back to normal
and traffic volumes increases tremendously. Everyone knows that South
Africa’s big metropoles are very congested with Johannesburg and Cape
Town being the top two most congested cities in the country.
According
to the INRIX 2018 Global Traffic Scorecard released last year, Cape
Town drivers spent more time in traffic while Johannesburg’s “rush-hour”
was longer than anywhere else in the country. It’s easy for us as the
public to say that government needs to do something about the traffic
situation, but there are a number of things that we can do as well.
Below are five things to consider that could help ease the traffic.
Car pool
If
you have someone in your office who lives in the same area as you, it
could be worthwhile discussing the possibility of car-pooling with them.
Or perhaps there’s someone in your street who travels to the same work
area as you. You could alternate weeks or days that you drive and take
it in turns. This will not only help ease traffic (if more people do
this), but it could also save you some petrol money in the long run.
Work flexible hours or work from home
This,
of course, is not possible for everyone. For those who are able to do
their job from anywhere with a stable internet connection, perhaps it’s
time to have a talk with your boss about possibly coming in after peak
hour traffic and working a bit later, or perhaps your boss would be
happy with giving you a work-from-home day once or twice a week. If more
people did this, there would be fewer cars on the road during peak
traffic periods.
Take public transport
South
Africa has a number of public transport options in all major cities.
Yes, some people prefer to not use public transport as it’s not always
very safe. But those who are able to find a safe and suitable route for
themselves should really consider using public transport. It’s cheaper
than using your car every day and it will also get you to work a lot
quicker most of the time.
Cycle to work
If you
live close to your office, cycling to work may be an option if it’s safe
to do. It’s a quick and easy way to get to and from work while beating
the traffic. And as a bonus, it will give you some added daily exercise.
Of course, please ensure that you have all the safety gear required.
For example, helmets are non-negotiables.
Invest in a motorbike or scooter
I
will admit that when I’m stuck in traffic and I see a scooter or
motorbike rider zoom by, I am somewhat envious of their freedom to beat
the traffic. If you can afford it, you could look into investing in one
of these modes of transport and you could use it as your daily commute
to and from work whenever possible. As mentioned in the paragraph above,
all the relevant safety gear needs to be worn at all times.
There
you have it – five ways in which we can all do our part in easing
traffic congestion. Some solutions/suggestions are bigger solutions than
others, but every bit helps. If even half of the road users did just
one thing to help ease congestion, things could drastically change for
the better.
