The City of Cape Town will enhance traffic management by taking over the operation and maintenance of traffic lights on major national roads, following a new agreement with Sanral. The City of Cape Town will take over the maintenance and day-to-day operation of traffic lights on key national roads after councillors approved a new agreement with the South African National Roads Agency (Sanral). The City has been authorised to maintain, operate, and, where necessary, build traffic signals on sections of the N1, N2, and R300 that fall under Sanral’s control within the metro.
According to a report to council yesterday, the move is aimed at ensuring smoother traffic flow and quicker repairs, as Sanral does not have the staff or systems in place to manage traffic signals on a continuous basis. “While Sanral has a mature road construction and maintenance capability, it does not possess the staff, facilities or contractual mechanisms to provide immediate and continuous traffic signal maintenance and operational management, leading to a proposal for the City of Cape Town to perform those functions on behalf of the agency,” the report said. “The City of Cape Town has four traffic signal maintenance depots as well as contractual agreements for the supply, installation, alteration and repair of traffic signals.
The roads affected include the R300 between the N1 and N2, parts of the N2 between the R300 and the R102, and sections of the N1 east of the R300. Though these roads are owned by Sanral, the city said road users experience the network as one system and expect traffic lights to work regardless of who owns the road. The metro currently maintains and manages about 1,560 signalised intersections across Cape Town. Sanral’s network within the city adds another 32 signalised intersections, which need to be synchronised with the City’s system to avoid congestion and knock-on delays.
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