Motorists will now be fined R1500 for driving through the Third Avenue dip in Newton Park, Port Elizabeth, when the road is closed due to flooding.
Nelson Mandela Bay installed a water-level detection system at the dip on Tuesday.
The system will activate the new traffic lights at the top of the dip on the Newton Park side, alerting motorists not to pass through.
Nelson Mandela Bay's head of Safety and Security, John Best, said the booms, which are normally closed during heavy rains, would still be used.
He said that the Municipality installed the detection system because motorists were still driving through the Third Avenue dip even when it is closed to traffic.
"The booms are not effective. People are cutting the locks and just removing the bollards that we have installed, " Best said.
He says the water-level detection system will be done in two phases with a similar installation to come on the William Moffett side of the dip.
Best said that the Municipality will remove the booms once they're certain that the technology is 100 % effective.
