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A little bit more than a month after a vehicle rolled and landed on its side at the notorious Plattekloof Road and De Grendel Avenue traffic circle in Bothasig another accident occurred at the very same site, this time claiming the life of one person.
The fatal accident, which involved a motorcyclist, occurred on Friday 15 March.
Last month TygerBurger reported on the driver of a black Audi A1 crashing at the traffic circle at Plattekloof Road and De Grendel Avenue, after slamming into the pavement, landing on its side.
The accident occurred on 11 February and sparked renewed concern for stricter safety measures to be implemented at the circle.
Mario Borchards, chair of the Bothasig Residents Association, said a young woman lost her life around 20:00 on Friday. “Apparently, she knocked a pedestrian down and swerved, and lost control. She was flung off the motorcycle and died.”
The area around the circle was blocked off to traffic and motorists were diverted through Burgundy Estate and Richwood. The police, the City of Cape Town’s traffic and Law Enforcement services as well as Life EMS and ER24 ambulance services attended the scene. The local neighbourhood watch also responded minutes after the accident occurred.
District Group armed-response officers also responded. According to the private security company emergency services were already on the scene when one of their officers came across the accident. “It was found a motorcycle was involved and the rider had sustained injuries,” they reported. They also helped with requesting ambulance services and with blocking off the road. “Unfortunately, despite efforts it was declared that the patient had passed away.”
Major concerns
Borchards said the traffic circle was a major problem.
“Even in the week we always have many fender benders. We have been asking for more visibility at the traffic circle, but nothing has happened from the City of Cape Town’s side.”
There is another issue, he said.
“The roadworks on the bridge are complete, which means the guys are going to speed coming towards the circle. I did send the councillor, subcouncil and Mayco member an email, so I hope they action it from their side.
“People speed on that road and many people get surprised by the circle; the circle is very dark. I went there while it was load-shedding, and it gets very dark at the circle.”
Borchards said many residents were requesting traffic calming measures, “such as traction control to slow the cars down, or stationary cameras on either side of Plattekloof Road as a deterrent. Hopefully when people know there are 24-hour cameras they will not speed. A lot of people are familiar with the road, they race down the road because it is a very long stretch.
“We want the City to act; it knows about the problem, has acknowledged the problem, and we cannot just ignore it because we are going to have more serious accidents or deaths as sad as what happened on Friday night.”
Two other women lost their lives in a car accident in March 2020.
Action sought long ago
Residents have been asking for flashing warning lights to be erected as motorists approach the circle for some time now.
In a previous newspaper report (“Traffic circle concerns”, 21/02), Derek Serra, a community leader, hinted that unless flashing warning lights are erected, accidents and possible deaths will continue to occur at the traffic circle. At the time Rob Quintas, Mayco member for urban mobility, indicated “the City of Cape Town will promptly arrange for an investigation into road signage and marking at the intersection of Plattekloof Road and De Grendel Avenue, Bothasig.”
TygerBurger will report the City’s update in a follow-up story.
