Truck drivers take heed!
2008-07-31
Marguerite Lombard
THE new gantries on the Bain’s Kloof Pass will soon make it more difficult for truck drivers to use the roads as a short-cut. The gantries will be placed at the nor- thern end of Eerste Tol and near the Calabash Restaurant which will provide a physical restriction for the trucks. Sieg Kröger of the Friends of Bain’s Kloof explains that trucks have caused extensive damage to bridges and stonework. Current restoration work on the pass will be completed by the end of August. “Work on the Darling, Borcherds and Breda Bridges is almost done, and some 150 stones are being retrieved to be used as kerb stones. These stones will not be painted white as they have been in the past. “Our aim is to preserve Bain’s Kloof Pass and keep it as Andrew Geddes Bain built it in 1953. The road was tarred and widened slightly in 1934, but it is still on its original base.” Roads signs clearly indicate that the pass cannot be used by vehicles heavier than 5 tons, or by trucks that exceed the height restriction of 3,8 metres or a length of 22 metres. There is a very good reason for this, explains Kröger. “Truck drivers don’t realise that a truck of more than 22 metres will not be able to navigate Breda’s Bend and a truck higher than 3,8 metres will not be able to pass under Dacre’s Pulpit.” Many trucks and double-decker buses then try to pass under Dacre’s Pulpit by deflating their tyres, but more often than not, they do get stuck. The only solution then is to reverse more than 800 m to a point where they can turn around. This is no easy task, and most drivers lack the skills to negotiate the narrow and twisting road. Tow trucks then have to be called in to do the work for them. In the past trucks have lost their entire load trying to negotiate the narrow bends. The present gantries, one at Bovlei Winery and the other at the Darling Brid- ge, are not working, with many of the chains that should warn drivers of the height restriction, are missing. Signage to control the movement of traffic through the pass will also be upgraded. Additional signs to indicate places of historic importance will also be added to the pass. Sandra Steytler, also a member of the Friends of Bain’s Kloof, points out that the pass is not only of historical value, but also passes through the Cape Floral World Heritage Site. Bain’s Kloof contains several scarce plant species - such as the spider orchid, which are endemic to the area and cannot be found anywhere else in the world, as well as a number of highly endangered fynbos species. For this reason it is very important to rid the mountain of alien vegetation. Wattle trees in particular are providing source seed on both sides of the watershed. Littering and especially broken glass are also causing problems at picnic sites.
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