The Easter weekend and school holiday break is coming up. After a busy start to the year, most people will choose to either take a short break over Easter or take advantage of the school holidays and long weekends to relax and unwind.
Bakwena Platinum Corridor Concessionaire (Pty) Ltd (Bakwena) encourages road users to plan their journeys in advance this Easter period, even though the annual Zion Christian festival may not go ahead due to the COVID-19 pandemic, busy conditions can still be expected along the route.
Bakwena spokesperson, Solomon Kganyago, says Bakwena is implementing various measures along the route and partnering with various authorities to ensure the safety of motorists traveling the route.
Bakwena’s ongoing partnership with Motus Corporation and KIA South Africa will see an additional six patrol vehicles be deployed from Wednesday the 31st March 2021 until Monday 3rd May 2021 over the Easter, school and long weekend period in April. These vehicles will assist with visible policing, crash assistance as well as support to road users who find themselves in difficulty along the route.
With the roads much busier than usual, Kganyago urges road users to take special care and apply the following safety measures when traveling:
- Ensure your vehicle is road worthy
- Ensure you get enough rest before your journey
- Do not drive if you’ve consumed alcohol/drugs
- Ensure you and your passengers are buckled up
- Stick to the speed limit
- Maintain a safe following distance of at least 3 seconds
- Do not stop in “no stopping” zones
- Stop and take a break at least every 2 hours during your journey
- Bakwena’s Customer Care number 0800 BAKWENA / 0800 2259362 is available to assist road users in the event of an emergency while travelling the N1N4 route. Use the info on the blue km board markers when reporting crashes or requesting assistance
For those traveling with e-tags, ensure your tag is topped up before your journey to minimize delays using the dedicated e-tag lanes. Registered e-tag users can pay their accounts via SANRAL Customer Service Centre, EFT, SANRAL Call Centre, at selected Checkers, Pick ‘n Pay and Shoprite stores or via the SANRAL app. For road users wanting to get an e-tag, e-tags are available at the following locations along the N1N4 route: –
- N1 Total Panorama Petroport
- N4 Doornpoort Engen One Stop
- N4 Magalies Total Petroport
- N4 Kroondal Shell Ultra City
Eliminate your interaction with toll plaza staff by taking advantage of the special promotion Bakwena is running in partnership with N1 Total Panorama Petroport whereby you get a FREE e-tag and 10% off your sit-down meal at Tonkawa Spur at the N1 Petroport bridge. Promotion is valid between 30 March to 2nd May 2021.
As an additional safety and convenience measure, Bakwena has also installed dedicated Tap and Go credit card machines at selected plazas along the N1N4 route. Keep an eye out for the new overhead signage and ensure you have your South African chip enabled credit card ready. Using this lane will save you time and eliminate your contact with plaza operators thereby reducing your exposure to COVID-19. Please note that debit cards and foreign credit cards will not work in these lanes.
If you don’t already have a car seat for your child, you can pop into the Total Panorama Petroport on the N1 on Thursday the 1st April between 12:00 to 15:00 where Bakwena in partnership with Wheel Well will have a limited number of car seats for all ages available for an affordable donation as well as FREE Secure-A-Kid harnesses. The friendly staff from Wheel Well and Bakwena will be available to assist you with choosing and installing the correct seat for your child.
Over the Easter weekend, between 2000 and 2400 vehicles per hour are expected to pass through Pumulani and Carousel toll plazas during peak periods, says Kganyago. Road users are encouraged to plan their journeys to avoid travelling in the peak periods. Peak periods are expected as follows: –
N1 Northbound & N4 Westbound
Thursday 1st April between 12:00 and 21:00
Friday 2nd & Friday 23rd April between 06:00 and 12:00
N1 Southbound & N4 Eastbound
Monday 5th April, Tuesday 27th April and Sunday 2nd May between 12:00 and 21:00
Bakwena would like to remind road users to please adhere to the COVID-19 preventative measures and ensure that face masks are worn when interacting at the toll plaza for both road users and staff safety. It is compulsory for toll plaza staff to wear face masks and sanitize regularly in line with the regulations.
Bakwena wishes travellers a safe and enjoyable Easter holiday break. For live traffic updates over the Easter weekend, you can follow Bakwena on twitter – @BakwenaN1N4.