The speed limit along a section of the R43 between Karwyderskraal Road and Hawston is set to be reduced following ongoing road safety concerns raised by residents and local officials.
The road, known as “the road of death” has been the subject of a number of deaths in the previous months.
The Western Cape Department of Infrastructure approved a reduction in the speed limit from 120km/h to 100km/h on the affected stretch, creating what Overstrand Municipal Manager, Dr Dean O’Neill, describes as a safer transition into the existing 80km/h zone near Hawston. Updated road signage will be installed by the District Road Engineer’s office.
The Department’s Traffic Engineering and Road Design division also confirmed the reduction of the speed limit.
“The road safety concerns were raised by Overstrand Municipality Corporate Services Mayoral Committee Member and Ward 8 Councillor, Arnie Africa, through the Ward 8 IDP priority process following ongoing concerns from residents, mainly in Fisherhaven,” says O’Neill.
Residents highlighted speeding along the R43 and safety risks at the intersection with China Marais Street, where school buses and commuters regularly enter and exit the roadway.
Councillor Africa also called for traffic lights to be installed at the intersection. However, it does not currently meet the national criteria for signalised traffic control, according to O’Neill.
O’Neill notes that traffic volumes and congestion levels at the intersection are not high enough to justify traffic lights according to Traffic Engineering officials. “The Department further cautioned that introducing traffic signals in the predominantly rural area could create additional safety risks for motorists,” says O’Neill.
