MANY Paarlites, including myself, brave our two very unsafe traffic circles, the one next to the Paarl graveyard and the other one between the magistrate’s and municipal offices, almost every day.
I personally experienced and witnessed several close calls while waiting to enter or trying to leave the traffic circle.
I also witnessed many quarrels be-tween friends and family about the right and wrong ways to enter, drive inside and leave the Paarl traffic circles.
Many times, especially in peak hour, I have waited behind motorists who appeared frozen in their driving seats, unable to take the leap of faith into the lanes upon lanes of traffic approaching from the right.
In a strange way, the new circle at the Paarl Mall works much better although it has five lanes that enter or leave. Possibly because people are more relaxed when going to the Mall to do their business.
All the while, the experts at the traffic department must be pulling their hair out of their heads in an attempt to resolve the issue of motorists not understanding or applying the “simple gentlemen rules” that apply inside these circles.
The “simple guidelines” for use of traffic circles is now included in the new K53 driving instructions, but many older motorists have never learned how to apply them, which might lead to legal disputes if they would have an accident inside one of the traffic circles.
I am not a traffic expert, but with my accident free 35 years (touch wood!) of road using I must have been doing something right and after giving some serious thought to it, I came across the ultimate accident preventer/traffic controller within these dangerous circles (see image).
The mechanism is already in use at a few dangerous crossings and works very well to calm traffic down, even during rush hours.
It comprises the installation of raised islands, which will not prevent motorists from crossing in an emergency, but will slow them down so much that they will rather not use that route in future!
I am sure that all law-abiding motorists will welcome a serious investigation into the viability of my proposed solution and that much of the frustrations and hair-raising circle-experiences could be prevented if the solution could be implemented.
Abie Martin
