10cm is all it took to create chaos

N1 ACCIDENT: Questions raised over the city’s ability to handle traffic disasters after man nearly crushed by truck that lost its load on highway

THE TRUCK driver who lost his load on the N1 on Tuesday, causing traffic mayhem across Cape Town, was on the wrong road.

Bound for Saldanha Bay, he should have been on the R27, not the N1.

And his 4.7m load, a 12 ton barge, was 10cm higher than the height limit on the Lower Church Street bridge, which is clearly marked 4.6m.

It was 10cm that made all the difference, not only to Cape Town’s traffic, but also to the driver of the bakkie behind the truck. As the truck drove under the bridge, the barge was swept off the flatbed onto the cab of the bakkie. The driver is in a serious condition in ICU at Groote Schuur Hospital.

Now Capetonians are asking if the city is prepared for emergencies and disasters.

And JP Smith, mayoral commitee member for safety and security, wants an urgent meeting with the city’s transport directorate, safety and security, and Transport MEC Robin Carlisle.

He also wants to know why police insisted on closing all the outward bound lanes of the N1 after the accident, exacerbating the traffic chaos. THE MASSIVE traffic gridlock around the city this week caused by the accident on the N1 has left many wondering if the City of Cape Town is prepared for emergencies and disasters.

Mayoral committee member for transport Brett Herron said the city had a disaster risk management plan to deal with incidents such as yesterday’s accident, and an updated version had been approved by the mayoral committee this week. It includes a disaster risk assessment table that identifies possible hazards and the areas that would be worst hit.

These hazards range from flash floods and tsunamis to earthquakes, pest infestations and an outbreak of an infectious disease. It also looks at nonnatural disasters such as aircraft, rail and shipping incidents.

There is also a plan for a nuclear disaster at Koeberg, although this is listed as “unlikely”.

Each directorate is responsible for its relevant response to an incident.

For a major traffic accident, the chief of traffic services is responsible for co-ordinating a response with the police and other emergency services. This would involve helping police to control and disperse crowds on the roadways near the emergency area.

The plan acknowledges that serious road accidents are “very likely” (expected to happen at least once a month). It also notes that the city’s entire road network – “especially highways and intersections” – are vulnerable.

Herron said the accident on the N1 highlighted an urgent need for a freight management strategy. Many collisions in the city involved freight vehicles.

“We can’t ban freight vehicles from the roads because then we may as well close the city down from an economic perspective. But we need a clear strategy in partnership with Transnet to ensure frequent and reliable freight rail services.”

A plan is being formulated and will probably be in place by next July.

“We need to look at how freight moves, and when it moves, to reduce impact on our road structure and other users. Do we restrict certain trucks to certain roads – and how do we do that?” said Herron.

Roads such as the R27 used by heavy-duty vehicles were showing signs of wear.

Herron said that while Tuesday’s snarl-up had affected road-users, commuters using trains and MyCiTi buses were largely unaffected.

Transport consultant Rory Williams underscored the need for a rapid response to such an emergency, as well as communication between all the relevant authorities. Communication should also extend to commuters via radio and other means so they could make alternative plans before getting stuck in traffic.

Other cities have a middle lane where traffic can be reversed in the event of an emergency.

Commuters vented their frustration on social media and “#gridlock” trended on Twitter.

“Why Cape Town needs more roads: #Gridlock in the city after an accident shut down ONE major route,” read one Tweet, while another annoyed commuter Tweeted: “Can only hope there are consequences for the injury and gridlock caused by negligence in Cape Town today”.

● Herron said the city was moving closer to its vision of an integrated transport system with “one ticket, one timetable”.

Talks with the national and provincial government about allowing the City of Cape Town to take over all contracting and regulatory responsibilities for public transport are at an advanced stage.

Since the new Transport for Cape Town structure was formed a year ago, the city has applied to national government to be the contracting authority for land public transport.

It has also prepared a business plan to take over all the licensing functions of public transport, currently the responsibility of the provincial government.

“The ultimate goal is to integrate all these nodes into one network.”

There are talks with Metrorail and Golden Arrow to introduce the smart card, used on MyCiTi routes, into these services.

The Passenger Rail Agency of SA has agreed to put the multibillionrand Blue Downs rail project on its 2015 budget. This will link the southeast of the metro with the northern suburbs via a direct rail service.

Herron said that since many commuters came into the city from beyond the metro’s borders, there were plans to extend the city’s transport – be it with a MyCiTi bus or another service – to areas such as Stellenbosch and Somerset West. IN THE wake of the gridlock on Tuesday, that added hours to the home-bound commute for many thousands of central city workers, the one question motorists have been asking with some alarm is this: if the city was shut down for several hours by a single accident, involving a large truck and a bakkie, how would we possibly manage in a mega-emergency?

As things stand, the only possible answer is: with difficulty.

It’s doubtful that even the best emergency plan in the world could ease movement on our car-clogged roads… if motorists assume that, in an emergency, they can expect to get clear of the danger zone in their own cars.

Would we agree, for instance, to abandon our cars on the pavements and board buses laid on to ferry us away from danger, or agree to remain at work, in our offices, to keep roadways clear for emergency vehicles only?

This is mere conjecture. The fact is, we don’t have to imagine the likely traffic mangle that might ensue in the event of a really serious or city-wide emergency – this week’s gridlock is telling evidence enough of what is, fundamentally, an unsustainable transport modus in the 21st century.

SIMPLY speaking, too many of us – most, single drivers – are using the roads, and it’s as clear as daylight that that will have to change. It is costly, to individuals as much as the economy, wasteful of resources, and, not least, in a society with much to be frustrated about, it only ups the aggression and impatience we have enough of already.

On the transport front, there is a palpable sense that Cape Town is applying more progressive thinking, planning and investing today than at any other time in decades. The MyCiTi bus initiative, the centralising of transport management and the increasing emphasis on better, safer public transport are reflections of this.

But it may be time to consider new measures that will, to be bald, punish the excessive use of cars.

The unavoidable alternative will be to endure more traffic fiascos like Tuesday’s, or worse ones.