After an outcry from local motorists, the City of Cape Town confirmed that three sets of traffic lights at intersections on Brackenfell Boulevard are being considered for Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) systems to power the signals during load shedding.
Mayco member for urban mobility Rob Quintas last week told TygerBurger that the traffic lights before and after the N1 bridge, and the one after that just past the Brackenfell police station have been added to the list of requests.
Presently only the Frans Conradie and Old Paarl Road intersections on this road are battery powered during outages.
“Our first priorities have been identified in consultation with law enforcement and traffic services. Once these are completed we will continue with other priority corridors, like the ones requested on Brackenfell Boulevard,” he said.
Residents hope that this will bring some relief to congestion and decrease travel time on the road during load shedding.
Traffic flow
By December 2022, nearly 75% of signalised intersections on the City of Cape Town’s road network had been equipped with UPS systems, according to a press statement issued by the City.
“A total of 1 228 of the City’s 1 652 traffic signals are equipped with UPS’s that are charged from mains power, and then power the signal when load shedding is implemented, up to Stage 3,” Quintas said.
During the 2020 financial year it cost the City about R6,5 million to install and replace systems at traffic signals.
