Trucks off roads during peak hours
By Sipokazi Maposa
Cape Town is considering keeping heavy vehicles off the road during peak hours to alleviate traffic congestion and pollution.
Cape Town's director of transport, Maddie Mazaza, said trucks were considered to be the biggest contributors to increasing congestion on the city's roads, affecting productivity and transport efficiency.
Heavy vehicle exhaust emissions were also a leading cause of the "brown haze" air pollution.
But the plan had businesses and other freight users ringing the alarm bell this morning.
The Cape Regional Chamber of Commerce and Industry warned that if restrictions were not properly managed, they could damage business.
In an interview on Tuesday, Mazaza gave details of the idea, which she said was at the proposal stage at present and required further investigation.
It was believed that a ban on the movement of heavy vehicles during peak hour would go a long way to alleviating both traffic snarl ups and air pollution, she said.
The city would also investigate dedicating lanes to heavy vehicles and allowing them special right of way in certain circumstances, to improve the movement of freight.
The strategy would be part of a sustainable transport system aimed at creating a balance between the movement of people and freight, she said.
Studies to determine how the plan would be implemented were already under way and the city was looking at various options on how to implement it.
The focus would be on key roads mainly used by trucks. They included freeways such as the N7, N1, N2 and Vanguard Drive, which is flanked by industrial areas.
"Trucks are the biggest contributors to congestion and air emissions in the city. Time lost during congestion affects overall productivity, with a resultant impact on the economy," Mazaza said.
"By discouraging (trucks) from using the road during peak times, we will be creating a win win situation for everybody.
"Business is currently suffering because workers always get to work late and trucks are spending more time on the road anyway, because of congestion.
"There are also unacceptable levels of emissions because of heavy vehicles that spend more time in traffic.
"If we take them off the roads at certain times, it will be quicker for commuters to travel to work and for trucks to travel to their destinations during off-peak. There will also be less pollution," she said.
The freight strategy would look at ways to improve freight operations without negatively af-fecting the economy and other road users.
It would look at how to create a sustainable transport system to move people and goods efficiently and safely.
"Our major priority at the moment is the movement of public transport, but it needs to balance with the movement of goods," Mazaza said.
"We will be identifying major destinations and route networks that carry a lot of freight vehicles. We will then do an analysis of the investigation and see what's feasible.
"We will also have a process of consultation with other stakeholders and the business sector to get their views on what can be implemented."
Mazaza said it was important to link the busy nodes that carried heavy freight, such as Epping and the harbour.
"The idea is to have a strategic freight road network that will ensure that all the freight generators are linked and feed into the rail system."
Mazaza said the tendency of truck drivers to travel in the fast lanes of freeways was also being investigated as this led to accidents.
But the Cape Regional Chamber of Commerce and Industry warned that if the plan was not well managed, it could damage businesses and the city's economy.
Chamber president Janine Myburgh said it was opposed to any move that would restrict businesses from conducting their day to day operations.
"You can't ban trucks at certain hours, because they form part of our economy."
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