Abstract
M.Ing.
The focus of this dissertation is on the evaluation of management in traffic
safety, and how it is applied, using the Road Traffic Management Corporation
(RTMC) as a case study.
Road Traffic Management in South Africa is in a state of crisis. The
constitution provides for concurrency with respect to road traffic management,
however, no mechanism has been implemented for co-operation and coordination.
It has been found that the current institutional arrangements are
not conducive to co-ordination and rapid interventions. Due to the scarcity of
resources and the desire to streamline the institutional arrangements, an
innovative model has been developed which will perform road traffic
management collectively, the Road Traffic Management Corporation, RTMC.
The implementation of the RTMC will require full co-operation and acceptance
by all the various departments concerned, from National Government level,
through to Provincial levels, and the Local Authorities. Before the Corporation
can be implemented, the funding needs to be secured, and the source of the
funding must be stable and committed. The implementing of such a
corporation will be delicate, and organizational structure needs to be clear to
all parties.
At this early stage of the RTMC, the methods of management already used by
the RTMC need to be compared to proper management principles, to ensure
that the RTMC will have the best structure to ensure its success. Any
uncertainties or concerns that may exist among those involved at lower levels
can be communicated to top-level management implementing the corporation.
By conducting an independent, external investigation, any short falls can be
identified which may have been over looked previously.
This dissertation aims to ensure that the RTMC adheres to the relevant
management principles, focussing on the objective of improving road safety.
A questionnaire is devised for the National Department of Transport, so that
an independent view of the vision of the RTMC can be acquired.
The organizational structure proposed by the RTMC is examined and
evaluated to determine the relationship, communication channels, functions
and responsibilities, which are intended between the various levels of
management and stakeholders.
The funding of a corporation such as the RTMC is considered, as the source
of such funds needs to be secured before the RTMC can be implemented. A
preliminary budget prepared for the RTMC is compared to what funding has
been made available.
The main objective of the RTMC is to improve road safety. Therefore, the
process it intends to use is evaluated to determine whether the goals it
intends to achieve through this process are realistic. The engineering function
required to improve road safety will also be evaluated in terms of what can be
done by engineers to improve the safety on South African roads.