Green is for go, but Metro wants it slow.

According to Malakou, the police have been directing traffic into Sandton during peak hour traffic from 7am to 9am in recent weeks.

According to him, the two problem intersections are the corner of Bowling Avenue and South Road, as well as the corner Marlboro Drive and the M1 highway. Malakou said, “Often, the traffic light can be green, and hidden behind some car is a traffic officer holding up his hand to stop cars.

“It is extremely dangerous. It takes me much longer when they [Metro] are there than if I rely on the traffic lights.”

The traffic officers stop the traffic completely. It takes motorists in each lane, and from every direction three traffic light changes to get through.

He thinks this is illegal and it is not benefiting people who drive from Sandton to the N3.

Malakou does acknowledge the benefit the Metro police’s presence has on “traffic in general”.

According to spokesperson for Johannesburg Metro Police Department, Wayne Minnaar, Metro officers have helped control traffic at those intersections for a month, and is unsure when they will no longer be needed. They are placed at certain intersections because “motorists avoid highways and use secondary roads” to enter Sandton.

“The traffic lights are not switched off because once they are switched on again; they lose synchronicity with other traffic lights on the road,” said Minnaar. He said he is unsure why motorists would not see the officers as they wear brightly-coloured reflective jackets that are made for their visibility.