The daily commute along the N2 highway, particularly between Gordon’s Bay and Somerset Mall, has become an exercise in extreme patience.

For months, motorists have endured the frustration of malfunctioning traffic lights at key intersections. Every few days, these intersections plunge into darkness, causing massive traffic build-ups, kilometres of gridlock and a chaotic free-for-all on a major highway.

What’s remarkable is the psychological shift among Helderberg drivers. Frequent outages have turned us into reluctant masters of the informal four-way stop on a dual-carriageway. Navigating these “dead” intersections requires cautious nods, aggressive creeping and silent prayers.

This is not a call for another scripted explanation from City of Cape Town departments about technical faults or cable theft. We know the reasons, but they won’t return the hours lost in traffic.

Instead, this is a plea to fellow commuters to drop the ego and treat every dark intersection as a four-way stop, regardless of vehicle size. Patience is essential, so adding 20 minutes to your journey is a practical necessity. Courtesy is equally important – letting frustrated drivers merge can make a significant difference.

If the infrastructure can’t guide us, our driving etiquette and shared survival instincts must take the lead.

An exasperated Helderberg commuter, EMAIL