Travellers will not experience delays due to road works during the December holidays. 

Peak traffic on the country’s national roads might occur somewhat earlier than normal because of the days on which December and January public holidays fall this holiday season.  

All public schools close on December 12, a Wednesday, and open on a Tuesday, a week after January 1. 

Traffic will begin to pick up in the week of school closures and traffic volumes will become heavy from Friday, 14 December, the beginning of a long weekend as Monday is a public holiday with December 16 falling on a Sunday. It is also  when the building industry closes. 

As Christmas falls on a Tuesday, it can be expected that traffic will start peaking on the previous Friday, on December 21. 

The end of the holiday period is also somewhat different. New Year’s Day is on a Tuesday and so is the day public schools re-open on January 8. This may mean peak traffic on the Mondays before. 

No delays 

The N3 freeway between Gauteng and the KwaZulu-Natal coastal resorts is in good condition and travellers will not experience any delays caused by road works during the coming festive season. 

Vusi Mona, general manager: communications of the South African National Roads Agency (SOC) Limited, said road conditions are good and holiday makers can expect trouble-free journeys throughout the route barring unforeseen traffic incidents or adverse weather conditions. 

Mona also calls on road users to keep road safety in mind when they take to the country’s roads during the festive season.  

“The main message is to remember that a road is a shared space and that you should be respectful towards your fellow road users.” 

Speed limits are clearly indicated on the 22 214 km of roads managed by SANRAL in all nine provinces.  

Mona said: “These are maximum limits and drivers should adjust their speed according to conditions such as rain or visibility. 

“Speeding and driving under the influence of alcohol are some of the major causes of road crashes – road users should heed the call to #DontDrinkDrive & #KnowYourWhoa. 

“Road user behaviour contributes a lot to road crashes and we appeal to motorists to respect the rules of the road and to also ensure their vehicles are roadworthy.” 

Helpful tools 

Motorists can use a variety of SANRAL tools to help plan their travel better. They can visit the SANRAL website, www.nra.co.za for help in planning their journeys.  

SANRAL has made available a series of videos to help motorists plan their journeys, from what route to use, what to expect on the road, the estimated expenditure for tolls and rest spots on the route. 

Motorists can also download the SANRAL App for the convenience of topping up their e-tag accounts from the comfort of their cars. 

“The app can be downloaded for free on all Android and iOS devices, and also offers users information about road conditions, traffic congestion and incidents on the road and enables motorists to plan their journeys in advance,” explained Mona. 

Incidents should be reported to the South African Police Services (10111), the National Traffic Call Centre (NTCC) on 012 665 6075   or to the N3 route patrol customer care line on 0800 203 950.