A BRIDGE for motorists and two for pedestrians in Botlokwa, opened by former
President Jacob Zuma in October last year, have been successful in increasing
road safety for both vehicles and pedestrians.
Botlokwa, on the N1 between Polokwane and the Beitbridge Border Post, is
divided by the busy highway and, as a result, some people live on one side but
do their shopping or attend school on the other. In recent years, there have been
a significant number of road fatalities in the area. Paying a simple visit to a friend’s
house could be a life-threatening exercise.
The elders of the community and the provincial roads authority approached SANRAL with a request to improve safety. The agency heeded the community’s
pleas and began working on the project.
Pedestrians are the most vulnerable road users. “Our focus is not only limited to
motorised transport but includes non-motorised transport – pedestrians and cyclists.
“That is why we make a concerted effort to ensure that they are considered
in the improvements of existing road infrastructure and the construction of new
roads. In fact, so critical is road safety to us that we have elevated it to one of
the pillars of our business,” said SANRAL Chief Executive Officer Skhumbuzo
Macozoma.
SANRAL is appealing to motorists to adhere to the rules of the road in and around
construction sites along the Moloto Road (R573) in Mpumalanga and Limpopo.
The road is being upgraded at the moment.
“We’ve noted with concern that some motorists disobey traffic-calming measures,
including speed limit signage and flagmen. Some drive straight through without
stopping and we’ve had several close-call collisions on the construction sites,” says
Lawrence Chauke, SANRAL Project Manager for the Moloto Road Upgrades.
“We urge motorists to cooperate during the upgrade, obey the rules of the
road and exercise patience.”
Dubbed ‘The Road of Death’ due to the high number of accidents, the R573
Moloto Road is one of the busiest routes in the country, connecting Gauteng,
Mpumalanga and Limpopo. It has not been upgraded for years and has had
to cope with increasing traffic in recent years due to the growth of peri-urban
communities along the Moloto corridor.
The upgrade, undertaken by SANRAL, aims to increase safety and reduce the
death and accident toll.
Work has started with the construction of traffic circles in major intersections in
Mpumalanga. The upgrades will also include closing off dangerous illegal accesses,
reducing conflicted movements on service roads, installing and replacing street
lights and moving informal traders to safer areas.
The upgrade will take five years to complete and will bring some 6 000 job
opportunities to community members who live along the Mpumalanga and
Limpopo stretches of the road. The estimated total cost for the upgrading of the
92km stretch in Mpumalanga and Limpopo is R2bn and will indirectly positively
influence socio-economic development in the area. Thirty percent of the total
project cost will create opportunities for small, black-owned businesses.
The project also offers across-the-board economic benefits, ranging from
unlocking the mineral belt to improved transportation.
