Have you slowed down your speed when driving past a traffic officer with a camera on Blaauwberg Road in Table View? Fear no more – this is just a mock traffic officer behind a picture of a speed camera.
This deterrent, which is the work of the City of Cape Town, has seen mixed reactions from motorists – most applauded the the initiative while others don’t seem too happy about the mock officer.
Jacky Newman, a resident in Flamingo Vlei, says she uses this road every day to travel from home to work.
“I’ve seen the mock officer, but I thought it was real. I always drive the lawful speed limit, but you can’t help getting those heart palpitations when seeing a traffic officer with a camera. Kudos to the City for rolling out this initiative,” Newman says.
High accident rate
Blaauwberg Road is notorious for its high accident rate, especially the minibus taxis coming from the Potsdam PTI to pick up workers at Bayside Mall or the newly-revamped Table View Shopping Centre. The Table View Neighbourhood Watch regularly report these accidents on their Facebook pages – in most cases, they are the first responders.
Newman adds that she has seen many accidents on this road – some so loud that she can hear them from her house. By now she has lost count of how many she’s seen.
Other motorists have expressed their concerns on social media, saying the City should rather focus on fixing the potholes and not waste money on fake officers.
Kevin Jacobs, the spokesperson for the City’s Traffic Services, says this is an initiative aimed at having a calming effect on road users when seeing the mock traffic officer behind a picture of a speed camera.
“Thus far we have only received positive feedback. The mock officers are made of steel. There are currently four mock traffic officers in the City. The mock officer is not the portrait of a specific officer,” he says.
He also confirmed that the speed camera is not real and is only used as a deterrent.
