T he beginning of June is traditionally the start of the rainy season in the Western Cape, but we weren’t holding our breath, as the summer had been long and dry and the rain seemed reluctant to make its appearance.

Then, literally out of the blue, came the announcement on Wednesday 7 June, that the sluice gates of heaven would open and unleash a storm. Not just any storm. The mother of all storms. In fact, it was the worse storm to hit the Cape in more than 30 years. Excitement and relief soon turned to panic as rumours started spreading that gale force winds were expected to ravage the city, tearing through metal, brick and mortar – set to leave a massive trail of destruction in their wake.

Then came the unprecedented announcement by the Western Cape government that all schools would be closed on 7 June and a plea went out from the Premier of the Western Cape to employers to consider giving their staff leave to ensure their safety.

Tuesday 6 June saw people leaving work early, picking up children from school, some even allowing pets into their homes for the first time, as everyone braced themselves for the big downpour.

That evening, shortly after 9pm, drizzle became rain, rain became

hail and then came the wind. Whirling wind reaching speeds of up to 120km/ hour. Roads were, for the most part, quiet, as many people had heeded the warnings and stayed home and off the roads. Many people, but not all.

This is where SANRAL, in partnership with the Western Cape government and city of Cape Town, with the use of high-end technology, made sure matters were under control, monitoring more than 163km

of the busiest road network in Cape Town. For emergency personnel and the team at the Freeway Management System (FMS), which is housed at the Transport Management Centre (TMC) in Goodwood, there was no going home.

Closely monitoring the 240 strategically placed CCTV cameras from 9pm on 6 June, until 9pm on 8 June, these dedicated professionals were able to access real-time information on traffic conditions

across Cape Town’s major freeways – which include the N1 as far as the Huguenot Tunnel, the N2 to the top of Sir Lowry’s Pass, the N7 to Potsdam Road and sections of the R300 and M5 between the N1 and N2.

The team responded to more than 130 reported incidents, including motor vehicle crashes, scores of stationary vehicles that broke down, a few flooded roads where access

was severely hampered, some incidents of road debris, including downed trees sprawled across the road, trucks that lost their loads, animals in the road reserve and even a few incidents of a criminal nature. All in a day’s work.

Speaking to Christoff Frick, Operations Manager on the Freeway Management System, about what conditions were like in the field, he said: “Visibility and the wind factor were quite severe, but overall we

had fewer incidents than expected. I suspect this is mainly due to people having stayed home on the Wednesday and the schools being closed. The one thing all our teams reported back was the incredible gratitude from the public for the rapid response. Nobody thinks that something will go wrong, but when it does, the world is a lot less scary with a highly skilled response team on hand to get you through the crisis.”

In an age when technology is used extensively to save lives, the road network is no exception. SANRAL has invested significantly into technological advances in this regard.

Randall Cable, SANRAL’s Engineering Manager: Operations, said: “Through the pelting rain, their primary concern was keeping traffic free-flowing and ensuring everyone got safely home. While the storm battered Cape Town and surrounds, the ability to coordinate a multi- agency response proved invaluable.

“Innovation through the use of smart technology to facilitate a speedier response to incidents not only aids road safety, but also improves the overall road experience. This is a major part of SANRAL’s focus over the next few years and we will continue our experimental research in this regard.”