GRAAFF-REINET NEWS — To the great relief of motorists in the area, there are no more stop-and-go sections on the reseal project on the R63 between Graaff-Reinet and the Pearston turnoff.
However, the Routine Road Maintenance team has two very short closures on sections 2 and 4 of the R75, work on which is continuing again after the Easter weekend.
Many people living in farms along that section of the R63 between Graaff-Reinet and the Pearston turnoff have had a torrid few months, as when they drove into town during the times when the road became a one-way section going past the farm gate it was a nightmare. There was no indication which way the traffic was flowing, and there were often heavy trucks racing past.
On three consecutive days in March one resident said that she drove out of the farm gate straight into oncoming traffic from the Graaff-Reinet direction.
Luckily she managed to pull over each time a vehicle came, except for at the railway bridge section where she resorted to driving on the new section of the road (which was fortunately dry).
To this complaint, SANRAL responded that it is not feasible to man each and every farm access on a rural road such as this.
Returning from an outing one Saturday afternoon, the young man manning the traffic kiosk by himself apologised to a driver saying that she would be driving towards an oncoming heavy vehicle.
He said that the people working at the kiosks regularly told SANRAL managers that the conditions for traffic were often very dangerous and that sometimes there was traffic coming in both directions without any control.
Of concern is the lack of attention paid by some workers manning the barriers and stop-and-go signs. When travelling through the roadworks, many residents have complained that often the workers are busy chatting with motorists and do not seem to be paying attention.
In response to a question regarding the training of these workers, Mbulelo Peterson, SANRAL Southern Region Manager, stated that the flag operators were trained in all aspects of traffic accommodation by an accredited trainer.
The staff makes use of radio communication and at times when there is a poor connection in the area they use cell phones to communicate whether it is safe to open the stop-and-go section on a road.
Work usually takes place from a Monday to Saturday, unless special permission is granted for work to continue on a Sunday. Also when there is a pay weekend, the site is closed on a Saturday to allow staff to go home for the weekend.
The Advertiser has received reports of many “near miss” accidents on the N9 between Aberdeen and Graaff-Reinet, where there are also several stop-go sections, including a frightening episode experienced by one couple when driving to Aberdeen on a Saturday in March.
After a 15 minute wait at one of the long stops, they were fifth in a queue of vehicles that were directed straight into oncoming traffic consisting mainly of heavy rigs, which was extremely dangerous for all concerned.
The woman who directed them into the oncoming traffic was, according to the motorist, definitely not paying enough attention to her duties.
"She spent rather a lot of time chatting and getting food from the truck driver in front of them, and then rushed to move the barricade without checking", he said. Reported on page 8 of this week's Advertiser, is an incident early on Good Friday morning where an accident occurred due to a vehicle going the wrong way on a single direction section.
“It is with regret and grave concern that we take note of the incidents as reported. Our traffic controllers are employed from the local community and given comprehensive training by approved and accredited training providers. Our consultant does multiple checks every day, including weekends,” said Peterson.
There are a number of rest stops along the N9 route into which vehicles pull off. These vehicles do not necessarily wait for the traffic to be moving in the direction they want to move before continuing their journey, so as an added safety precaution SANRAL has closed off these rest stops in the work zones with temporary road signs as a measure to reduce the risk of such incidents happening again.
“We are committed to ensuring all reasonable measures are taken to make the journey as safe and with as little disruption as possible,” concluded Peterson.
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