Your questions answered
Our founder, Colleen Bekker owned an advertising agency, Media3, which specialised in unique branding sponsorships and radio advertising. She and her partner were tired of sitting in heavy traffic and seemingly never-ending traffic jams, so during a brainstorming session the concept of sponsorship of additional pointsmen on Joburg’s roads was born.
Media3 established Traffic Freeflow (Pty) Ltd which now operates completely independently and runs the pointsmen operation on its own. In October 2004 negotiations with the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) commenced, and in September 2005 the first group of pointsmen was deployed.
Initially the Alexandra Community Protection Forum had a team of individuals who had shown a strong commitment to community safety on a volunteer basis over a lengthy period. For the pilot project these individuals were screened, interviewed and selected by the JMPD. Currently CVs are received daily.
As and when Traffic Freeflow requires additional staff, the CVs of candidates residing in the closest townships are reviewed, and candidates are interviewed.
Residential location is key for static pointsmen as they rely on public transport to get them to and from their allocated intersections.
If you are interested in becoming a pointsman, please forward your C.V and matric certificate to info@trafficfreeflow.co.za
Pointsmen are trained and accredited by Metro Police And or relevant Traffic Departments.
The most significant challenges faced by the Pointsmen and Points ladies include.
Our pointsmen take great pride, and it shows in their smiles and the service, they provide knowing that they are helping to keep the South African economy “free-flowing”.
They love positive feedback from the motorist like:
The pointsmen also gain valuable job experience that will serve them well when pursuing employment that might better suit their skills and education. As brand ambassadors, they learn the importance of customer service, professional appearance, trustworthiness, and reliability. Many of our staff go on to jobs with law enforcement agencies at the Metro and even Provincial levels.
Internally, pointsmen have opportunities to learn more about leadership, business, and managing teams.
Absolutely! Pointsmen have joined JMPD, TMPD, SAPS and more than one Provincial Traffic Department. However, pointsmen follow the same recruitment process as the rest of the public when applying for the officer position when it is advertised.
The Pointsmen Project is funded 100% by our very generous sponsors, however, these sponsors have limited budgets and thereby limit our ability to respond to all the problematic areas. More sponsors = more pointsmen
The project has proven to be one of South Africa’s most successful public-private Partnerships. The value of the sponsors’ association to the project includes:
Mobile Team staff must have an A Motorcycle license. Static Team staff do not require any driver’s license but are encouraged to take the opportunity to gain riding skills through our internal (and free) training program. This training begins with first learning how to ride a bicycle (the skill of balance, braking and turning a two-wheel vehicle) and progressing through to hands-on motorcycle training. Upon successfully obtaining their licenses, staff are then eligible to apply for a Mobile Team position when they become available.
In general, pointsmen come from previously disadvantaged backgrounds and may not have held a job before. We look for the person who can cope with stressful situations (standing in traffic can be very stressful) while remaining calm and collected as our sponsors’ brand ambassadors.
Our Pointsmen have been equipped with high-quality visible green and blue uniforms.
This includes Safety Boots, Reflective Strip Trousers, Shirts, and Highly Reflective Vests. The shirts are specifically designed to be visible, quick-dry, non-iron, extremely absorbent, and cool in high temperatures. Rain Suit in rainy seasons.
The hours they work change throughout the seasons to accommodate the highest flow of traffic with the best available light. Visibility of the motorists, as well as the pointsmen, is critical to their safety. Consequently, in winter, shift times start later in the morning and end earlier than they would in summer.
In addition to being paid a healthy wage, Traffic Freeflow nominate a “Pointsmen of the Quarter” Award, Team of the Quarter, Rider of the Quarter, and potentially the “Pointsman of The Year” award.
Each month in our staff meetings, compliments received from the public are read aloud and the pointsman given recognition amongst their peers for what they do so well.
Traffic reporting has always been an integral part of any radio programming, and listeners have come to rely on accurate reporting to get them to their destinations quickly and safely. Primedia’s group of stations (namely 702, 947, Kfm, and Cape Talk) decision to become a media partner has had great benefits for listeners because instead of merely reporting on traffic problems, the station is now able to request that mobile pointsmen be dispatched to trouble-spots in response to calls received from motorists to the traffic desk. Listeners play a vital role in reporting problems on the roads to the radio station for inclusion in traffic reports. Listeners will continue to report such problems using the existing infrastructure. These problems are relayed to Traffic Freeflow, and depending on availability, pointsmen will be dispatched to that specific area.
Our Help Desk collects traffic reports from the public via phone (010 880 6048), email (info@trafficfreeflow.co.za), and by WhatsApp no for Johannesburg 073 009 5725 and for Tshwane 063 195 0287.
No. Our mobile teams are limited to 17 members in Johannesburg and 18 in Tshwane. Many of the larger intersections require at least two pointsmen thereby limiting the number of intersections we can dispatch and respond to.
Once pointsmen have been deployed at an intersection it is difficult to move them within the same shift. This means the sooner Traffic Freeflow is notified about problems at larger intersections, the sooner the problem can be addressed and pointsmen deployed.
Traffic Freeflow’s capability to deploy more pointsmen will increase commensurate with additional sponsorships and demand.
Deployment at intersections affected by load shedding is prioritised according to the size of the intersection and volumes of traffic.
The operations center at Traffic Freeflow is in constant communication with the pointsmen via cellular telephones and WhatsApp.
Shifts depend on intersections, but static pointsmen usually work two-hour shifts twice a day.
Mobile team members work longer shifts of up to four hours each and do two shifts per day.
Safety is Job #1 and with rain comes reduce visibility of both the pointsmen and motorists.
Unlike the Metro Police, we cannot display flashing blue lights to alert motorists of our presence, and therefore in coordination with the dispatchers in our Help Desk a pointsman may stand down until the conditions improve and it is safe to re-enter the point.
Yes, but they only assist where visibility is not an issue, and the safety is prioritized.
The company closes between mid-December to mid-January annually, and the pointsmen are required to take their leave during this period.
This invariably happens at main road intersections where pointsmen are on duty to allow motorists travelling on side roads safe access to the main road. While the addition of pointsmen may disrupt a “normal” commute, in the bigger picture we’re helping traffic in all directions.
Many motorists have come to rely on Google Traffic to help plot their travels to avoid problematic areas.
My route that used to take 15 minutes now takes 30 minutes because of the pointsmen.
This usually happens at intersections where traffic lights need to be reset to allow more time for traffic approaching from the opposite direction.
So, for every motorist who must sit in traffic for 15 minutes longer travelling in one direction, there’s another whose journey has been reduced from 45 to 30 minutes while travelling in the opposite direction.
Traffic Freeflow works closely with the municipal road authorities to ensure that traffic lights are reset as soon as possible to ensure equal travelling time for motorists travelling in both directions.
There will be times when a pointsman is unable to get to his intersection. Like most people they have families; get ill; or encounter circumstances that prevent them from getting to work. (Many rely on public transport to get to work.)
Whenever resources allow, we send a member of the Mobile Team to cover for an absence.
Firstly, to do so would be in contravention of the law, unless directed to do so by the relevant Metro Police Department. This is typical when working at special events and with police assistance.
Secondly, “over-riding” a traffic signal can be dangerous as motorists will tend to obey the traffic signal first, before they see the pointsmen (especially overhead traffic lights).
Traffic Freeflow micromanages their pointsmen and require the pointsmen to be in constant communication with the operations help desk, i.e. informing the operations help desk of their arrival time, departure time, traffic conditions or whether they need assistance. It is vital for the operations help desk to communicate with the pointsmen to provide effective service to the public, partners and sponsors.