SAFETY INITIATIVES IN THE RURAL EASTERN CAPE WITH SPECIFIC FOCUS ON NATIONAL ROUTE R61 SECTION 8 PETER HENDERSON Pr Eng Hatch Goba (Pty) Ltd, P.O. Box 8245, Nahoon, 5210 Tel: 043 721 0135; Email: [email protected] ABSTRACT The paper describes the implementation of safety improvement measures on the R61 Section 8 between Mthatha and Port St Johns. The paper details the infrastructure development and community requirements for those communities living adjacent to the national road. It then continues to describe the design considerations taken into account during the formalisation of engineering solutions, with particular emphasis on improving vehicular and pedestrian safety at at-grade intersections. SAFETY INITIATIVES IN THE RURAL EASTERN CAPE WITH SPECIFIC FOCUS ON NATIONAL ROUTE R61 SECTION 8 Table of Contents Page 1. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................... 1 2. LOCATION ....................................................................................................................... 1 3. SOCIAL ASPECTS ........................................................................................................... 2 4. INTER –GOVERNMENTAL DEPARTMENT PLANNING CO-ORDINATION.................... 3 5. SAFETY CONCERNS ....................................................................................................... 3 5.1 Vehicular .......................................................................................................................... 4 5.2 Pedestrian ........................................................................................................................ 4 5.3 Livestock ......................................................................................................................... 5 6. ROAD SAFETY AUDIT ..................................................................................................... 6 7. ROAD SAFETY INITIATIVES ........................................................................................... 6 8. INTERSECTION UPGRADE ............................................................................................. 6 8.1 Vehicular considerations ................................................................................................ 7 8.2 Pedestrian considerations .............................................................................................. 9 8.3 Road safety education .................................................................................................... 9 9. LESSONS LEARNT........................................................................................................ 10 10. CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................ 10 1. INTRODUCTION This paper describes the road safety improvements that are being implemented. By the South African National Roads Agency Limited (SANRAL) along National Route R61 Section 8 between Mthatha and Port St Johns in the Eastern Cape. This portion of the R61 forms part of the proposed N2 Wild Coast Highway. The project entails the construction of roadworks, structures and facilities relating to vehicular and pedestrian safety along National Route R61 Section 8 (R61-8). The extent of the works was defined as commencing in Sprigg Street in Mthatha CBD East and proceeding eastward towards Ndwalane, some 80km away, where this portion of the route under SANRAL terminates. The primary objective of the improvements along the R61 was to primarily address vehicular and pedestrian safety along the road. The road initially fell under the authority of the Eastern Cape Department of Roads and Transport, however when the authority for the road was transferred to SANRAL it was determined that safety improvements were required along this route. Initially, the required safety procedures were assessed using SANRAL’s draft document, the Practical Design Guidelines for Pedestrian Facilities on Higher Order Roads. This assessment led to the formulation of basic designs that were defined with an emphasis on road class and function. They defined the hierarchy of addressing road safety as a 3-step process, namely: 1. Prevention; 2. Warning; and 3. Mitigation. The guidelines recommended a macro level assessment to address road design aspects. The guidelines were drafted using this portion of the R61 as an example of the draft guidelines application. As such, an estimation of engineering works along this portion of the R61 was contained as an addendum to the guidelines, which set out a schedule of works required to achieve safety objectives. This addendum formed the basis for the project. SANRAL required that the abovementioned guidelines be assessed critically; thereby determining accurately the necessary works to achieve the same objectives. A series of design meetings were held over a period of two years, where design proposals were interrogated, thereby developing the design scope into a logical set of infrastructure upgrading projects. Although the planned N2 Wild Coast Highway (N2WCH) does not affect the works recommended under the appointment, it was unavoidable that the implications of this would need to be considered. The approach that was adopted was that, where the N2WCH is known to have an effect on the current designs, those designs must take cognisance thereof. The recommended works was anticipated to amplify the goals of the N2WCH once it is developed. 2. LOCATION The R61 Section 8 passes through the rural areas of the Eastern Cape. The road is predominantly located on a watershed and is the regional distributer to coastal areas east of Mthatha. The R61 Section 8 commences in Mthatha where terrain is generally flat. After approximately 34 km the road becomes increasingly undulating. After a further 10km, the terrain undulation increases and becomes hilly, almost mountainous with sharp rises and falls with the road constructed 1 along the hill ridges meandering into the valleys below up to the end of the project limits. A location plan is shown as Figure 1. Figure 1 : Location Plan 3. SOCIAL ASPECTS The villages bordering the road are predominantly rural and typified by poor households. The Integrated Development Plans of the local communities indicate that unemployment is at 50.3% and that 60% of the unemployed are youth (Port St Johns IDP 2013/2014, page 70). This situation means that people movement is predominantly by foot or by taxi. The result is that pedestrian movement is significant, especially to and from schools. This area is also typified by ribbon developments along the major roads. With the poor riding quality and infrequent maintenance of the roads, communities favour access onto the surfaced roads. Figure 2 shows a portion of the route illustrating the typical ribbon development that occurs along the route. Figure 2 : Typical ribbon development (image from google earth) 2 4. INTER –GOVERNMENTAL DEPARTMENT PLANNING CO-ORDINATION The location of government services has not been co-ordinated and as such has resulted in road safety aspects being ignored in the development of infrastructure. Examples of this are the construction of schools across the road from the school feeder population. This is illustrated in Figure 3 below. Figure 3 shows that the lack of planning has resulted in easy access for the teachers, but the positioning of the schools requires pupils to either walk on the R61 or to cross it. No provision was made for the safe movement of learners to the school. Feeder Community Junior Primary School Junior Secondary School R61 Section 8 Feeder Community Figure 3 : Community infrastructure (image from google earth) 5. SAFETY CONCERNS The safety concerns are similar to those experienced in rural areas, however if it is considered that the R61 is the main regional distributor road and that it is indicated to form part of the proposed N2WCH, these safety concerns are required to be addressed in a formal manner. 3 5.1 Vehicular Vehicular safety concerns related to right hand turning movements as well as uncontrolled and informal accesses onto the R61. Image 1 shows a typical uncontrolled access and vehicle parking onto the R61. Image 1 5.2 Pedestrian Pedestrian safety concerns included pedestrians crossing the R61 as well as pedestrian usage of the R61 by walking on the bitumous surface inside of the yellow line. Images 2, 3 and 4 illustrate this occurrence. Image 2 Image 3 4 Image 4 At four areas along the route, pedestrian crossing movements have been accommodated by the placing of speed humps with a raised central median (image 5). Image 5 5.3 Livestock Livestock are herded across the R61 at various points. The crossing areas are not sign posted so motorists have no advance warning of the potential conflict area. Image 6 is an example. Image 6 5 6. ROAD SAFETY AUDIT No road safety audit has been undertaken on the road, however if the risk assessment matrix of the South Africa Road Safety Audit Manual (2nd edition, 2012) is used, then all these potential conflict areas would be rated as being “intolerable” or “high”. The implication of this is that safety improvement measures must and should be implemented even though the costs may be high. SANRAL has recognised this and is implementing safety improvements to the value of R1.2 billion on this section of road. 7. ROAD SAFETY INITIATIVES The road has a design speed of 100km/h with this speed being reduced to 60km/h through the larger formal settlements. In