Cape Town - The City of Cape Town has said it would be too expensive to implement traffic calming devices in areas across the metros.
Mayco member for transport Felicity Purchase said: “The City is requested to implement traffic calming, at great cost, and along roads that do not qualify for traffic calming, because of speeding. Drivers should adhere to the rules of the road, in particular speed limits and stop streets. The approved projects for traffic calming measures far exceeded the financial and resource capacity of the City.”
Purchase said traffic calming also came at a high cost. Prices vary from speed humps for between R20000 and R35000 each; a raised pedestrian crossing for about R70000; a mini-circle for from R100000 to R150000; and a raised intersection for R150000 to R250000, depending on intersection size and services included.
“Traffic calming, in the form of raised measures, pose challenges: the speed of emergency vehicles is prohibited; the cost of long-term street maintenance; air pollution due to constant deceleration and acceleration of vehicles; they are bothersome to adjacent residents due to noise pollution resulting from braking; and remedial measures on one street can lead to the problem being transferred to neighbouring streets where no traffic calming exists,” Purchase said.
Last week the Cape Argus reported on residents in the inner city pleading with the City to install more speed bumps, pedestrian crossings and other “traffic-calming measures” to deal with the “nightmare” traffic volumes.
Last year, residents from various areas within sub-council 16 (City Bowl and surrounds) made a proposal to the City to address concerns relating to roads. In areas such as Green Point and Woodstock, residents have complained about high traffic volumes, no public amenities and the need for “mobility maintenance” (areas where pedestrians can move more freely).
Purchase said: “Most of Woodstock’s residential streets have traffic calming devices, especially in the vicinity of schools and other public amenities.”
@MarvinCharles17