‘We don't want this to happen to more people’

Another crash on Kloof Nek Road has left residents and the City of Cape Town wondering what more can be done to improve safety on the steep road.

On Saturday October 12, a tour bus collided with two vehicles and a wall on Kloof Nek Road, causing the second accident in a month.

On Thursday September 26, a cement truck appeared to lose control on Kloof Nek Road, colliding with no less than 17 cars before slamming into a wall (“Restricting heavy vehicles on Kloof Nek Road ‘not an option’”, Atlantic Sun, September 30, 2024).

The sister of Ian Macfarlane who was left in a coma after the September 26 cement truck crash, has taken issue with ward councillor Francine Higham’s Facebook post that no serious injuries were recorded as a result of the tour bus crashing.

“Since my brother Ian has been in a coma, my inbox has been flooded with horror stories of this road and the petitioning that has gone on for years,” said Michelle Macfarlane.

“If calls to action had been heeded years ago, our essential emergency services wouldn't have had to be utilised with this most recent accident. ‘Thankfully no serious injuries’ is a gross understatement of what has probably caused major trauma to those tourists who saw their life flash before their eyes. Not to mention the people who are onlookers and who live in that area. My and my family's hearts are breaking every day. We don't want this to happen to more people,” Ms Macfarlane said.

Cape Town Central police confirmed that they have registered a reckless and negligent driving case for investigation following the accident involving a bus in Kloof Nek Road on Saturday.

“The circumstances surrounding the incident forms part of the police investigation and no arrests have been made,” said Sergeant Wesley Twigg

Ms Higham provided the Atlantic Sun with a motion that she submitted to Sub-council 16 on Monday, October 14, regarding implementations to enhance the safety of Kloof Nek Road.

“In the last year, the City's Urban Mobility Department conducted a Road Safety Appraisal of Kloof Nek Road and have implemented a number of measures to reduce speed and improve safety on this stretch,” Ms Higham said.

Measures include signage being changed along Kloof Nek Road to reflect that the speed limit has been reduced from 60km/h to 50km/h. This includes the signage on the Camps Bay Drive approach which also has warning lights. The speed camera on Kloof Nek Road is fully operational after an electrical fault was identified.

New signage has been installed at the top of Kloof Nek Road to remind truck drives to gear down. The City has installed a new signalised pedestrian crossing at the top of Kloof Nek Road, at the intersection of Tafelberg Road and Signal Hill Drive, to assist with pedestrian safety and slow traffic coming over from Camps Bay.

Ms Higham said these measures have made a considerable impact at addressing speeding concerns, but given the ongoing risks with heavy-duty vehicles and other conflict points at a number of intersections, more needs to be done.

The City’s Urban Mobility Directorate said they will be investigating the crash reports with a view to considering the implementation of further measures to assist in mitigating the impact of an errant vehicle travelling down Kloof Nek Road.

“The City’s Transport Planning and Network Management department will be visiting the site to technically assess the feasibility of arrestor structures this week,” said Rob Quintas, the City’s mayoral committee member for urban mobility.

According to Fire and Rescue Service, a woman was injured and transported to a medical facility on Saturday.

“The barrier wall of a block of flats was damaged. Three private vehicles were damage as a result of the bus accident with no fatalities reported,” said spokesperson Jermaine Carelse.