For many years, the busy intersection between Old Oak, Tyger Valley, and Carl Cronje roads in Tygervalley has caused traffic delays and frustration among drivers, but a Durbanville man believes he has a simple solution and is asking the City of Cape Town for help.
There is heavy traffic in the area because the intersection is between Willowbridge Shopping Centre and another shopping centre which houses a Checkers and Food Lovers Market, among other business, while the Tygervalley Shopping Centre is across the road, which explains the amount of traffic in the area.
There is a four-way stop with robots traffic lights on either side and at least two lanes each on either side for motorists to use, and although there are two traffic lights with arrows to allow free-flow traffic, there is still a delay in traffic caused by one lane.
According to Naas Viljoen, a retired electrical engineer, traffic is often at its worst between 4pm and 5pm when the intersection is backed up all the way to one of the entrances of Tygervalley Shopping Centre, which is over 2km away.
“People coming towards Willowbridge on Old Oak Road, only have one lane to use if they want to go straight, and before this, they come from a road where three lanes turn into four, so if there is a lot of cars that want to go straight, which is often the case, a bottleneck is created and people are stuck in traffic.”
Separating the one right-only lane into a straight lane and a right-turn lane would ease the congestion, Mr Viljoen said.
“Making this change would not cost the City anything more than just a fresh coat of paint, but it would make the world of difference.”
Sorting out the traffic situation at the intersection would not only help with the traffic flow in the area, but it could also limit the risk of accidents in the area.
“Two years ago, my wife was involved in an accident at the intersection that had the same system between De Bron and Eversdal roads in Brackenfell. Of course, you cannot blame the accident entirely on the robots, it it certainly played a role in the incident, and, fortunately, it was non-fatal. Since then however, the City made the same change that I am proposing they do here, and since then, that intersection runs smoothly.”
His wife was the one who noticed the problem at the intersection on Old Oak Road, and he had contacted the City in June last year with his proposed change.
Mayco member for Transport Felicity Purchase acknowledged the receipt of the proposal and added that it was being discussed.
“The City occasionally receives suggestions of this nature. These are then duly investigated and the feasibility thereof established in terms of the applicable standards,” she said.
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