After the latest bizarre scene of a car being stuck on Bloubergstrand Beach on Tuesday 8 March, residents are reaching out to the City of Cape Town for assistance.
This has become a norm after a few incidents of cars almost landing in the sea at beaches in Ward 23.
According to reports, the owners parked their cars in designated parking bays along the beach front without securing the handbrake. This led to the cars moving forward, ending up on the shore.
Although some residents argue that these are due to the negligence of the owners, others have voiced concerns over the lack of barriers to prevent such incidents.
“Owners need to be more cautious when parking their cars, especially when they see no barriers. How do you park your car without pulling up the handbrake? That should be second nature for a driver,” says resident Mary Lourens.
However, Valerie Barry argues that everyone makes mistakes and these owners should not be publicly humiliated for their actions. “This can happen to anyone who is in a rush or had a bad day. We should not be so easy to judge. They will still have to pay for the damages themselves,” she says.
She adds that there should be barriers in place, especially at a busy beach front.
“There is damaged infrastructure along the beach front and barriers are included on the list. The City should step in and take action to make it safe for all visitors,” she says.
According to Paul Swart, Ward 23 councillor, plans are in place to put up bollards.
“With regards to the two previous incidents in Ward 23, we have – immediately after the second incident – arranged with the roads and parks departments to work together with regards to transport and staff on the one hand, and bollards on the other, to install bollards at all possible ‘unsafe’ places to prevent these incidents.
“We thus just await the installation,” he says.
