Cape Town - It’s known by locals as “the truck-eating bridge”. And every few weeks it claims a new victim. The Muizenberg railway bridge has become notorious for having a truck protruding from one end or the other.
Over the years it has become the butt of many jokes with suggestions that drivers be issued with dunce caps.
However, on Monday evening when a truck slammed into the bridge in Atlantic Road, part of its roof came off and two women under the bridge were injured.
Jacobus Links was sitting next to the women and narrowly missed being hit. He said one of the women, who he knew only as Michelle, was six months pregnant. He said the other was Elizabeth September who was taken to False Bay Hospital and discharged on Tuesday.
Macallister Muller was sheltering from the rain further up the road when he heard a massive bang and saw the truck|ploughing into the bridge.
He said the truck driver only got out when people started making off with boxes of what looked like baby food.
There is signage indicating that the bridge has a height restriction of 2.5 metres, and yet in May at least five trucks crashed into the bridge with dozens of people posting pictures and advice on social media.
PUBLIC SAFETY RISK
It’s not the first time people have been injured, but they are usually those in vehicles.
Two years ago, six schoolchildren had to be treated for minor injuries after their bus got stuck under the bridge.
And in 2010, 15 tourists were injured when their coach hit it. The driver was arrested for reckless driving.
Lesley Schroeder, director of the Muizenberg Improvement District, said the organisation had been concerned about trucks getting stuck under the railway bridge for some time now.
“It’s a big public safety risk and it leads to needless traffic congestion with seemingly no repercussions for the drivers.”
She said the organisation was currently in discussion with the city’s roads department and Metrorail over the issue, and one of the suggestions was to have much bolder signage warning truck drivers.
Riana Scott, spokeswoman for Metrorail, said its engineers had protected the railway bridge by affixing what is called a “sacrificial” beam.
This was a supportive, reinforced|structure that bore the brunt of the impact to protect the integrity of the structure.
“After each incident the damage and its possible impact on the bridge are assessed,” Scott said.
Police spokesman Captain FC Van Wyk confirmed Monday’s collision, saying it appeared that the truck was lodged under the bridge.
He could not confirm any injuries.
Cape Argus