Crashes on Cape Town's Atlantic Road in Muizenberg will soon be a thing of the past as the city's transport authority has installed a 3D laser detection system to prevent such incidents.
This week, Transport for Cape Town (TCT) set-up the first detection system to assist in preventing vehicles with a height of 2.5m or more from crashing into the low railway bridge.
Mayoral committee member for Cape Town transport, councillor Brett Herron, says despite the city's numerous signboards along Main Road and Atlantic Road warning drivers of the 2.5m height restriction ahead, a truck or vehicle crashes into or gets stuck under this bridge about once a week.
"The railway bridge crossing Atlantic Road in Muizenberg is notorious for crashes, mainly because road users often underestimate the height of their vehicles or load when driving under the bridge," he says.
Danger ahead
The frequent crashes into the railway bridge prompted the City of Cape Town to use a different warning system to improve the safety of road users and try to prevent crashes.
At a cost of R300 000, the city's transport authority installed the 3D laser detection system, Herron says. "This is a small price to pay if it can prevent at least half of the crashes that we have witnessed at this bridge over the years and if it can assist in improving the general road safety in this area."
He explains: "TCT officials proposed a 3D laser detection system following international research. A system developed by a local company was installed above the northbound carriageway of Main Road, about 150m from the intersection with Atlantic Road. It uses an infrared laser beam to read the height of the vehicles and their load.
"Should it detect that a vehicle in the turning lane is higher than 2.5m from the road surface, a warning system is triggered at the intersection with Atlantic Road. A signboard with high-power LED lights will flash for about 30 seconds, indicating to the driver that their vehicle is too high to cross underneath the railway bridge."
According to Herron, the city's earlier systems were often affected by the extremely corrosive environment and required constant maintenance.
The opportunity to use a laser detection system was offered by the recent Main Road rehabilitation project in Muizenberg, when it was decided that an improved system could be installed as part of the roadworks, he states.
Although it's still too early to tell whether this new warning system will minimise crashes, city officials say no incidents have occurred since the system started operating.
"The plan is to roll out two more laser detection systems - one above the southbound carriageway of Main Road for traffic approaching Atlantic Road from Steenberg, and another above Atlantic Road for traffic approaching the railway bridge from the eastern side along the R310. These rollouts will happen as soon as we have determined the success rate of the first system," notes Herron.
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