District Safety Plan to address road safety harms in Overberg | Western Cape Government

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District Safety Plan to address road safety harms in Overberg

21 November 2016

The high level of road traffic crashes represents a major impediment to the socio-economic development of the Western Cape. The Department of Transport and Public Works (DTPW) has responded by adopting a vision of zero fatalities and zero serious injuries on provincial roads.

To give effect to this vision, a pilot District Safety Plan (DSP) was drafted for the Overberg District and signed by the municipal managers of Cape Agulhas, Theewaterskloof and Overstrand municipalities, and the South African Police Service (SAPS) Overberg Cluster Commander. The DSP is an integrated enforcement, education and engineering plan which responds to a detailed evaluation of the strategic and operational environment. The pilot brings all the elements that can contribute to road safety together into a single coherent and integrated plan.

On 18 November 2016, Provincial Traffic Services and its municipal counterparts conducted various integrated roadblocks in the region. DTPW road safety officers engaged in pedestrian safety awareness activities in Caledon. A media networking event also took place on the day.

Hector Eliott, Strategic Coordinator of Safely Home, says coordination will be managed at the Caledon Traffic Centre. “The process began with an evaluation of road safety needs in the district so that the outcome would respond effectively to actual needs on the ground. Ongoing monitoring and evaluation is built into the implementation plan so that lessons from experience can inform the development of similar plans for the other districts of the province,” he said.

Kenny Africa, Provincial Traffic Chief, says the media has been identified as one of the key stakeholders in the successful implementation of the DSP. “Through effective collaboration with communication and news media stakeholders, we can raise awareness and reduce road fatalities in the Overberg region.”

A number of road safety and traffic law enforcement activities commenced on 1 October 2016, and will run for the next few months. This will include the broadcasting of radio advertisements featuring the voices of local traffic chiefs that have been running for well over a month. The activities and advertisements are linked with the monthly Safely Home calendar themes.

The signed plan is accessible on the Safely Home website: https://safelyhome.westerncape.gov.za/sites/safelyhome.westerncape.gov.za/files/Caledon%20Traffic%20Centre%20District%20Safety%20Plan%20V001001.pdf

Media Enquiries: 

Byron la Hoe
Communication Officer
Department of Transport and Public Works
Tel: 021 483 9813
Cell: 079 281 8570
Email: Byron.laHoe@westerncape.gov.za

You can follow the Department of Transport and Public Works on Twitter: @WCGovTPW