Cape Town - Concern over persistent crime on city freeways has prompted the SA National Roads Agency (Sanral) to take action to safeguard N2 users.
This follows a slew of incidents, including a highway robbery and stabbing this month, and numerous accounts of vehicles being bombarded with rocks.
Gangs disable cars by placing blocks in the road, then ransack the vehicle, usually stabbing or wounding the driver.
Repairs to vandalised fencing and street light cabling were ongoing, said Sanral’s Vusi Mona. “All Sanral pedestrian bridges on the N1, N2 and R300 near Cape Town already have caged enclosures.
“We have experimented with vandal-proof fencing on top of the median concrete barrier on the R300... The fence on top of the centre barrier proofing has been successful and we will continue to invest in such sustainable solutions.”
Over the past six months Sanral’s more than 240 closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras had detected at least 150 criminal activities. The system now also includes night-time thermal cameras.
* While the city is expanding its CCTV roll-out, the
metro police already monitor nearly 400 cameras across the city, although with access to the Freeway Management System, it collectively monitors more than 560.
And the safety and security directorate will be installing cameras in Athlone and Bellville this financial year.
Cape Argus