Smashes mostly happen on weekday afternoons

 

THE MAJORITY of the collisions on Cape Town’s roads happen on weekday afternoons and private motorists are the biggest culprits.

City traffic services yesterday provided an analysis of the five high-incident locations. These are Rosmead Avenue and Wetton Road in Wynberg; the R300 and Stock Road in Philippi; Stellenbosch Arterial and Belhar Drive in Belhar; the R300 and Stellenbosch Arterial in Delft and the N7 and Potsdam Road in Dunoon.

In the 2011/12 financial year, there were more than 600 crashes at these spots. Between May and July there were 243 collisions there.

Andre Nel, the deputy chief of traffic services, tabled the information before the city’s safety and security portfolio committee.

Nel said traffic services had increased enforcement and officer visibility in some areas and officers had made recommendations on possible engineering changes. The figures are based on road incident reports from local police stations.

In Wynberg, most of the collisions took place on Mondays and Thursdays. The peak time was between 12pm and 6pm.

“This could be because there are a rush of people moving towards this intersection at that time.”

To help alleviate the problem, trees blocking motorists’ views at the intersection had been cut back.

The situation was similar in Philippi, where incidents were more likely to happen on Mondays and Tuesdays. Most took place from 6am to 8.30am.

Motorists side-swiping or rear-ending one another were the most common types of smashes.

Mondays were also the most dangerous days in Belhar, with the most incidents taking place between 8.30am and 4.30pm.

In response to the collision rate at Stellenbosch Arterial and Belhar Drive, a speed camera was installed.

At the Delft intersection, the bulk of the incidents took place on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. Nel said officers had also noted a increase in the number of arrests for driving under the influence on Sundays.

In Du Noon, Mondays were the most problematic days. Incidents peaked between 8.30am and 4.30pm.

Nel said the analysis “dispelled the myth” that taxis were involved in the most crashes: “Minibus taxis are not the worst culprits; sedans are the most problematic vehicles on the road.”