GEORGE NEWS - A seasoned local town planner has aired concern over road planning in George and the impact it has on our fast-growing city.
He says George Municipality has in certain instances lacked in its vision to make provision for sufficient traffic flow management, such as in providing access to the Denneoord and Heather Park/Blanco areas.
"The growth of George is exacerbating the situation and it will get worse," says the town planner, who wishes to remain anonymous.
'Link King George with Victoria St'
Where links still can and should be created, the municipality's decisions are critical, for example providing a third access for the King George Park/Kingswood area, in addition to the existing King George Drive/Langenhoven Road and Plattner Boulevard/York Street corridors.
"These are already under pressure. With higher density development (the new Village Ridge development), traffic flow will be impacted severely. In the 80s, the planning department ensured that a road was built as a future link with Victoria Street over the Camphersdrift River.
"With the approval of the new Village Ridge development, the municipality closed this road, and this is extremely worrying."
He says the municipality apparently is planning on creating a link through the B field of the Outeniqua rugby stadium to connect this neighbourhood with the hospital circle.
"This will not work because Langenhoven and Davidson Road are already carrying high volumes that will increase with the growth of the city. A bridge over the Camphersdrift River is the only option. I am extremely concerned that they will want to go this route and it is not in the best interest of our future."
He says a bridge over the Camphersdrift River could be a gabion road surface through which the river can still move at a slow rate. It does not need to be an expensive bridge.
This Google map shows that Augusta Drive had been extended to end opposite Victoria Street on the other side of the Camphersdrift River.
'New traffic lights not thought through'
Another instance of planning that he is concerned about is the new road connecting to the PW Botha Boulevard / Rand Street crossing where traffic lights were also added. Because the original design for this new road link was incorrect, he says, (the new access would have 'staggered' with Rand Street), a "solution" was implemented by shifting the new road a-symmetrical to the one side of the road reserve to line up with Rand Street.
"Then traffic lights were put up, which was a mistake. PW Botha Blvd carries high traffic volumes and heavy industrial vehicles from Sandkraal Road now have to stop on an incline if the traffic lights are red. This is unthinkable. The consultant that the municipality used for this project should not have come with this proposal in the first place.
"In the second place, town planning should not have approved it. Thirdly, the engineering department should not have let the road building go this far. The extra access road should have connected opposite the Metro entrance way or at the Anton le Roux turn-off where a level surface connection is possible. Decisions like these show lack of vision."
The new link at the PW Botha Boulevard and Rand Street intersection can be seen on the right. According to the concerned town planner, it is "unthinkable" that heavy industrial vehicles from Mandela Boulevard's direction now have to come to a halt and take off on an incline when the traffic lights are red.
No return on past decisions
He mentions two instances where past decisions, that cannot be reversed, are impacting on traffic flow. One is the connecting route between Airway Road and York Street. "It is a main collecting route and should have been a straight connection between Airway and York, but instead it has twists and turns like a labyrinth.
"It also drains traffic from Blanco. The design should have focused on the macro impact, not just the effect on the suburb it runs through. Now it is too late to rectify with the housing developments that have sprung up."
He says the proposed western bypass is not a solution as an alternative in this case, as it does not bring traffic into town.
Another problematic area is access to and from Denneoord where St Paul's Street could have been extended to Hops Drive (which is already linked to Fifth Street and Knysna Road).
However, Council approved a development on land that should have been retained for a road reserve for the St Paul's extension. "This was short-term thinking. The planning department is already unwilling to allow densification of Denneoord due to the traffic."
Experts busy with integrated transport plan
Civil Engineering Services acting director Lionel Daniels in response said the municipality is in the process of concluding a comprehensive integrated transport plan that includes a review of the existing roads master plan.
"This is being conducted by experts in the field of traffic and transport, and the George Municipality will consider recommendations arising from this plan once concluded, to guide further road planning."
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