The Bo-Kaap Civic and Ratepayers Association (BKCRA) are concerned about the increase in traffic accidents because of “abnormal and heavy-duty construction vehicles” in the area.
During a recent accident a bakkie rolled over at the intersection at Morris and Longmarket streets.
Seven people were injured and two of them had serious to critical injuries.
“Upon investigation and inspection of the CCTV footage, the Bo-Kaap Civic discovered that civilians narrowly escaped injury and that several occupants of the bakkie were tragically hurt,” read the statement.
The BKCRA said they were cognizant of the rights of property holders to develop but they emphasised that developers and contractors, should comply with traffic regulations.
They called upon developers and contractors to “exercise due diligence throughout the building process and ensure full adherence to health, safety and traffic regulations”.
“The BKCRA furthermore calls on the City of Cape Town to conduct an inspection of the roads to determine the extent of damage caused to the Bo-Kaap streets as a result of heavy-duty construction vehicles.
“The BKCRA highlights that the residents of Bo-Kaap have a constitutionally entrenched right to an environment which is not harmful to their health and is protected for the benefit of future generations,” they
said.
The City’s mayoral committee member for transport and urban development, Brett Herron, said the daily presence of vehicles on the roads and any load, big or small, contributed to the rate of degradation of the road layers.
“That said, and given that the Bo-Kaap is an area where development is rife along with the age of the road in the area, these are contributing factors to the road’s resistance to a general increase in traffic.
“Where it is evident that a specific construction company is responsible for the demise of a portion of the road during construction, the City holds those entities liable for repairs,” he said.
Mr Herron added that, in most cases, it was difficult to pinpoint the culprit, especially if it was in an area where development was common, and where multiple companies were operating on the same route.
“As part of our road maintenance programme, our officials take note of the road condition during planned and routine inspections in order to keep the surface in a safe riding state,” he said.