Statement by Donald Grant, Minister of Transport and Public Works
As the notoriously busy Easter period approaches, I am happy to announce that as of today (1 April 2015), in addition to our intensified enforcement efforts planned for the weekend, we have extended our highly successful Average Speed Over Distance (ASOD) camera enforcement network to two sections of the N2. This is the sixth phase expansion of this system that will now cover 28.8 km of the N2, following previous activations along the R61, the R27, and most of the N1. We hope that this further extension of the system will result in a continued decrease in both road fatalities, as well as speed violations on the province’s most dangerous roads.
How the ASOD Works
First Phases of ASOD
This sixth phase of the ASOD system now covers an additional 28.8km in two sections of the N2, bringing the coverage by the system of the province’s most dangerous roads up to 452kms. The two sections covered, including Sir Lowry’s Pass, are:
This area has seen a number of crashes and fatalities in recent years:
N2 ASOD Section 1- Somerset West/Sir Lowry to Steenbras | ||||
Road User | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 |
Driver | 5 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
Motor-Cyclist | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Passenger | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 |
Pedestrian | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
Total | 9 | 5 | 10 | 5 |
N2 ASOD Secton 2: Steenbras to Houw-Hoek | ||||
Road User | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 |
Driver | 4 | 4 | 0 | 1 |
Motor-Cyclist | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Passenger | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
Pedestrian | 2 | 3 | 4 | 3 |
Total | 8 | 9 | 7 | 4 |
We remain confident that with the ASOD system in place more and more people will slow down on these stretches thereby substantially reducing their likelihood of being involved in the horrific crashes that we have seen in the past, particularly along the longer distance roads frequented during this time by holiday-makers travelling to their various destinations.
We are fortunate to have continued partnerships between our Safely Home team, our Roads engineers and staff, the Director of Public Prosecutions, SANRAL, the City of Cape Town, and all our road safety partners, that are committed to improved safety on our roads, and continue to support innovative projects like our ASOD camera enforcement system. We remain committed to ensuring that motorists, their passengers, and other road users, arrive safely at their destinations, particularly during this busy Easter period.
Tomorrow, we will be launching our Operation “ZERO” Easter Enforcement Plan, which aims to achieve zero fatalities or serious injuries on identified high-risk routes over the upcoming Easter period. As a main focus of the plan over this upcoming weekend is the effective enforcement of speed. This latest phase of our ASOD system will go a long way in achieving that and encouraging motorists to slow down on our roads, particularly over periods with high traffic volumes.
Siphesihle Dube
Spokesperson for Donald Grant, Minister of Transport and Public Works
Tel: 021 483 8954
Cell: 084 233 3811
E-mail: siphesihle.dube@westerncape.gov.za