Upington community calls for speed humps to secure historic railway bridge

Nearly 240 residents of Upington, led by AfriForum, handed over a petition to the Dawid Kruiper Local Municipality in support of improved road safety at the T-junction at Quarry Street and Schröder Street. The civil rights organisation and the petition signatories are calling on the Municipality to install speed humps at the T-junction so that vehicles reduce their speed in time before reaching the historic railway bridge on Schröder Street.

Werner Strauss, AfriForum’s District Coordinator for the Northern Cape, says this request is about far more than the safety of one intersection. About 100 m from this junction, there is a road sign warning heavy vehicles to turn right and not to continue along Schröder Street. This sign is essential, but it is often overlooked, as there is a low railway bridge about 600 m further on, where trucks have repeatedly collided with the structure over the years, causing serious road accidents.

AfriForum recently repainted the historic railway bridge to improve its visibility and warn road users about how low-lying it really is. However, the existing safety measures could be reinforced by forcing vehicles to slow down at the T-junction.

“If trucks are forced to slow down, they will have more time to see the road signs warning them about the low bridge. In addition, this would also force motorists to obey the stop sign that is so often ignored,” says Strauss.

“The 236 signatures reflect the community’s sincere concern about road safety and their intention to work with the Municipality to find practical solutions that prevent accidents before they happen. Road safety is a shared responsibility. Every preventative measure introduced today can save a life tomorrow. It is therefore a meaningful investment in Upington’s future.”