Quiet backroads in focus as JMPD targets suburban speedsters

If you have observed an increase in traffic law infringement fines in lower speed residential roads in your post or email, specifically for speeds of 70-80km/h, the Joburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) confirms it’s monitoring the sub-streets.

Motor News was alerted by a reader who started noticing more and more traffic fines from less congested suburb roads, and a worrying trend of Aarto infringement notices from two different sources, “PayFine” and “PayCity.”

On the matter of speed law monitoring, JMPD spokesperson Xolani Fihla says the observation about an increase in traffic speed fines issued for suburban roads (specifically for speeds of 70-80km/h in 60km/h zones) is factual.

“The JMPD continuously monitors and enforces speed limits across all road classifications, including suburban areas, as part of our commitment to road safety and reducing accidents,” said Fihla.

“Our enforcement efforts do involve partnerships. The JMPD has a contract with Syntel for the provision of Advanced Law Enforcement and Crash Management (Alecram). This partnership assists us with various aspects of traffic law enforcement, which can include the processing and issuance of infringement notices.”

Regarding the concern about receiving old and new infringement notices in batches from “PayFine” and “PayCity” listed as “Aarto” infringement notices, Fihla said: “We understand the apprehension. Both PayFine and PayCity are legitimate third-party payment platforms that facilitate the payment of Aarto (Administrative adjudication of road traffic offences) infringement notices. These platforms are used to provide convenient payment options for motorists.”

If an individual receives notices in batches, it’s possible that there may have been a backlog in processing or delivery, or that multiple infringements occurred over a period and are now being issued.

The various SA metros run autonomously and thus this Joburg Metro arrangement may differ elsewhere, perhaps with different partnerships and service providers.   

To verify the legitimacy of any specific infringement notice, we recommend checking the details provided on the notice against your vehicle registration and driver’s licence information.

You can also contact the Road Traffic Infringement Agency or visit the Aarto website for further verification and information on your infringements.