WE would like to respond to the letter of Vern W Kenned about traffic congestion in the main arteries of Paarl, like Jan van Riebeeck Drive and Oos-Bosch Street in Paarl.
The survival of any municipal area is to a large extent dependent on development taking place within the boundaries of the particular area.
Unfortunately, the very same required development places a greatly increased demand on all services, of which roads and traffic infrastructure are but one.
The road infrastructure within the municipal boundaries are the exclusive responsibility of the Municipality, except in certain cases where a section of the particular road is proclaimed as a Provincial or National road.
No support for the development or maintenance of municipal infrastructure is provided by either the Western Cape provincial administration or SA National Roads Agency Ltd (SANRAL).
Only through the Municipal Infrastructure Grant Program can funds be obtained and then in accordance with a strict priority system. Road infrastructure is very low on this list.
With foresight, the Municipality envisaged the necessity to plan the development of the transport infrastructure.
To this end a comprehensive Integrated Transport Master Plan was compiled with a proposed implementation plan in accordance with the identified needs.
In total, 28 different projects were identified to be implemented over a period of 16 years.
Implementation must obviously follow the priorities as identified.
In the letter a number of suggestions were made.
The following are some proposed projects in the Master Plan in order of probability for implementation:
* Van der Stel (North & South) connecting Jan van Riebeeck Drive with Klein Drakenstein Avenue.
* Additional lanes in Jan van Riebeeck Drive (Oos-Bosch to Van der Stel and Oos-Bosch to Huguenot Bypass)
* Additional carriageway in Huguenot Bypass
* Additional two lanes for Langenhoven Avenue.
Costs however are extremely high with the estimated costs of the above four projects being in excess of R104 million.
Provision must be made in the budget, taking into account the required provision of life dependent infrastructure (water, sewage), as well as affordability.
A fine balancing act indeed.
Regarding the intersection at Meaker/Oos-Bosch and Jan van Riebeeck Drive, the situation needs to be addressed, together with the upgrading of Jan van Riebeeck Drive.
Unfortunately the junctions of Distillery and Westhoven Streets with Optenhorst/Oos-Bosch must be regarded as a single staggered junction.
The synchronisation of the traffic lights at these intersections is done so as to cause the minimum waiting periods.
Recent investigations indicate that the present synchronisation of the traffic lights in Oos-Bosch Street are very close to optimal.
Lastly anybody who wishes to know more about future planning is welcome to enquire with the relevant personnel, thus negating extended media correspondence and creating an informed relationship between public and officials.
May Carolissen
Media Liaison Drakenstein Municipality
