After the fatal collision at the R44 /Bredell Road crossing claimed the life of beloved Somerset College teacher Gavin Larsen, locals turned to DistrictMail to voice concerns over this intersection notorious for accidents.
One local in particular wrote: “Many of us in Somerset West work in Stellenbosch, and as such take the R44 daily. I have seen horror accidents at the R44 crossing with Bredell and Winery Roads. As such, my wife and I brought it to the attention of our local councillor last year. I again raised it with them this year, only to hear some issues around how the roads are sectioned.
“Some of it falls under the City of Cape Town, some under Stellenbosch Municipality and some under the Western Cape government. I put in writing to representatives of all these departments my concerns, and specifically warned that it will be a matter of time before tragedy strikes for the learners and parents of Somerset College (situated on Bredell Road). That prediction sadly came true, with little to no feedback from all the departments that I put my concern in writing to.”
According to this local his correspondence comprises the recommendation to reduce the speed limit on that stretch of road from 100 km / h to 80 km / h. “Nothing was done. My question is, can we keep these guys accountable? It seems they are shifting responsibility from one department to another, and that people are killed in unnecessary car crashes,” the local said.
Upon enquiry, Jandré Bakker, spokesperson for the Department of Transport and Public Works, said the department has been working on safety improvements on the R44 for many years, with the intention to close identified at-grade intersections and median crossings. Bakker said the environmental approval process to implement these proposals has been met with vigorous opposition by members of the public, as widely covered in the media, which has caused delays of several years to the process.
“After a lengthy appeal process, the department finally has an EIA to proceed with implementation and a first stage of the project is being designed and will include improvements to the Winery and Bredell Road intersections. While planning has been done to execute the project in the MTEF, implementation is subject to the availability of applicable resources,” he said.
