Cape Town - In the past three years, more than 365 vehicle-related crashes involving 722 drivers have been recorded on Kloof Nek road, in Cape Town, which has raised concerns for additional safety measures and a call for drivers to ensure their vehicles are roadworthy.
City officials warn that in the latest incidents where a cement truck overturned, leaving ten people injured, one of whom is in a coma and a bus carrying tourists which crashed into stationary vehicles, are now part of an ongoing investigation to determine if the cause was brake failure.
Safety on Kloof Nek Road has been under the spotlight this month, following the ten-car-pile -up last month which saw multiple injuries including a passenger, Ian Macfarlane, who is currently in a coma.
His sister, Michele Macfarlane made a public appeal: “Two weeks ago my brother was in an Uber that was hit by a cement truck on Kloof street. He is still in a coma.
“Our family is struggling to find any details; who was involved in the accident; how badly was the Uber driver injured; where are the other victims of that crash?
“We are coming up with dead ends and need these details for the investigation to be completed.”
A representative for the Macfarlane family told Weekend Argus they could not discuss much of the police investigation portion.
The Weekend Argus also attempted to reach out to Macfarlane but she did not respond.
Police have since opened a case of reckless and negligent driving.
The City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Urban Mobility, Rob Quinta, confirmed hundreds of accidents on Kloof Nek Road.
The most horrific incident dates back to 2005, August 25 where three school children died after the bus they were travelling in had brake failure, leaving many others wounded during their excursion to Table Mountain.
“From 1 February 2021 to 26 December 2023, there were 365 crashes involving 722 drivers, 40 passengers and three pedestrians,” he said.
“No fatalities were recorded in the latest incident, but three serious injuries and 28 minor injuries.”
Quintas could not provide the latest numbers and stated that the City’s Urban Mobility Directorate was investigating the crash reports of the latest incidents for a decision to consider the implementation of further measures to assist in mitigating the impact of vehicle-related incidents.
“At certain locations along Kloof Nek Road the gradient is as steep as 14%, as such, the City has already installed warning signage on the Camps Bay side to advise drivers of heavy vehicles to engage the lowest gears.
“Given the available space, the City may consider removing the on-street parking in order to accommodate said mitigation measures.
“The City’s Transport Planning and Network Management department will be visiting the site to technically assess the feasibility of arrestor structures this week.
“Importantly, Kloof Nek Road is a Class 2 Major Arterial route, meaning it is an important access route that carries large volumes of traffic.
“Given the limited number of roads providing access to/from the CBD area to the Camps Bay area and beyond and the functional classification of the road, restricting heavy vehicles is not an option.”
He added the the speed limit along Kloof Nek Road is 50km/h in both directions but that a recent investigation found the average speed for heavy vehicles was 51km/h northbound (downhill); and 47km/h southbound; and for light vehicles it was 57km/h northbound and 56km/h southbound.
“It found that the majority of road users do not exceed the speed limit, however, there were isolated instances of speeding.”
Quintas said possible brake failures had to be investigated following the latest incidents and that vehicles were roadworthy.
Muneera Allie, spokespers for the provincial Mobility Department, said they were working jointly with the City on the Kloof Nek Road safety concerns.
“The Mobility Department has commenced engagements with the City regarding mitigating measures to improve road safety on Kloofnek. Mobility MEC Isaac Sileku and his department will be working closely with, and supporting, the City in this regard,” Allie said.
Ward councillor, Francine Higham, said they had received feedback from residents which will form part of their planning for safety measures.
“I continue to engage with Traffic Planning and Network Management on the additional safety measures that can be implemented along Kloof Nek Road. All suggestions I’ve received from residents via email are being forwarded to the relevant officials for consideration,” said Highman.