No delays expected on the N1 'Great North' this season

For audio-visual of the road network, including interviews with all four Sanral regional managers, click on the links below:

N1 North https://we.tl/mIfSw2gJHY

Pretoria, 4 December 2016. Travelling on the N1 freeway from Pretoria to the Zimbabwean border should be trouble free during the festive season and road users will not experience any delays caused by road works.

Ismail Essa, regional manager for Sanral's Northern Region (Limpopo, Gauteng, North West and Mpumalanga provinces) says there are no major construction activities under way on the artery that runs from Gauteng, through Limpopo to the Beit Bridge Border Post.

Good news for motorists is that the automated toll payment system is now operational at the major toll plazas, Kranskop, Nyl, Capricorn and Baobab. This means road users with electronic tags will no longer have to stop at any of the toll plazas if they pass through the dedicated e-tag lane.

"Automated payment makes it much easier for motorists who undertake long journeys," says Essa. "They do not have to wait in queues at toll plazas or pay cash at the booms. It will reduce travel times and result in safer and more enjoyable road journeys."

Travellers can expect a free-flowing driving experience for the entire journey from Gauteng to Zimbabwe. There is construction work on the Musina ring road but as it is a greenfields project it does not affect N1 traffic at all. Work will cease for the holiday period anyway.

The upgraded R71 interchange south of Polokwane is a huge improvement for road users visiting Moria during religious festivals as well as tourists travelling to Kruger via Tzaneen and Phalaborwa.

Past traffic patterns show that there will be a slight increase in traffic volumes prior to all weekends in December with above average traffic expected on the Thursday before Christmas - 22 December. This will be especially true at the Beit Bridge crossing into Zimbabwe and will be repeated on the first weekend in January 2017.

Sanral also calls on road users to follow important safety tips when they take to the country's main 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," says Essa.

Speed limits are clearly indicated on the 21 946 km of roads managed by Sanral in all nine provinces. "These are maximum limits and drivers should adjust their speed according to conditions such as rain or visibility.

Road users are encouraged to take a break during long distance journeys to prevent fatigue and lack of concentration.

Incidents should be reported to the South African Police Services (10111) or the National Traffic Call Centre (NTCC) on 012 665 6075.

The expected peak travel times over the December 2016 to January 2017 period based on historical data and traffic modelling for the N1 to Polokwane:

* There will be a slight increase in traffic volumes on the N1 to Polokwane at the Capricorn Plaza on 1, 15 December, but no extreme volumes are expected; above average traffic volumes are expected on 22 December with free-flowing traffic throughout the festive season. * High traffic volumes expected on N1 to Pretoria at the Capricorn Plaza on 1 and 7 January but no extreme volumes are expected. * Extremely high volumes are expected at the Capricorn Plaza to Beit Bridge on 22 December with free-flowing traffic from 24 December.

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