COVID-19 may see permanent change in how, when commuters travel

07 July 2020

Statement by the City's Mayoral Committee Member for Transport, Alderman Felicity Purchase

The Cape Town freeway management system recorded the lowest number of crashes in eight years in April 2020 when most movement was prohibited during Alert Level 5 of the national lockdown.

The City’s Transport Directorate has also been collating data for the N1, the N2, a section of the N7 and M5 freeways since the start of the lockdown on 27 March 2020, and we can confirm that the weekday traffic counts on these roads have dropped between 75% to 80% in April 2020.

However, the volumes increased significantly in May 2020 from around 20% to 40% of the traffic volumes seen before the pandemic; and in June 2020 the traffic volumes have increased further to about 65% of the normal weekday levels as more people are returning to work with the easing of the regulations related to Alert Level 3 of the lockdown.

Much of the City’s priorities are now focused on limiting the spread of COVID-19. Commuters are continuously reminded about the mandatory wearing of masks, regular hand washing, use of hand sanitiser, and social distancing.

We don’t know for how long COVID-19 will challenge us and we must stay resilient and focused. However, once we have overcome the pandemic, we will be looking into the travel patterns during this period and afterwards to determine whether there have been changes in how and when people travel.

The statistics recorded by the Cape Town freeway management system, jointly funded by the City, the Western Cape Government, and SANRAL, are invaluable in detecting these changes.

The freeway management system (FMS) is operational 24/7, with operators doing visual surveillance of 179 km of freeways to detect incidents, to report these to the relevant authorities, and to provide up-to-date information to road users.

There are currently 262 CCTV cameras and nine weather stations measuring temperature, humidity, and wind speeds, along the major freeways around Cape Town. The cameras and weather stations are used to monitor incidents and road conditions as far as the Du Toits Kloof Pass between Paarl and Worcester.

Messages about incidents are displayed on the 49 variable message signs that are located along the freeways, and these are also posted on social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook.

Some of the freeways that are being monitored from the Transport Management Centre in Goodwood are:

• Foreshore Freeway
• FW de Klerk Boulevard
• N1
• Du Toits Kloof Pass
• Nelson Mandela Boulevard
• Airport Approach
• N2
• Sir Lowry’s Pass
• Philip Kgosana Drive
• M5
• R300

The FMS recorded a dramatic decrease in the number of incidents during Alert Level 5 of the lockdown when movement was mostly prohibited to limit the spread of COVID-19.

In April 2020:

• The number of crashes decreased from 223 in March to only 33 – the lowest since the inception of the FMS in 2012
• 23 light injuries were recorded and no fatalities; while on average, 19 fatalities were recorded per month since April 2019
• Not a single crash involving a pedestrian was recorded; when on average, there were 15 pedestrian crashes per month from March 2019 to March 2020

In May 2020, as limitations on movement eased:

• The number of crashes increased from 33 in April to 60, but was still significantly lower than the average of 240 crashes per month recorded for the past year
• 15 light injuries were recorded, and one fatality
• There were two crashes involving pedestrians

‘We all had to, and are still adapting to the new normal. Part of this is the requirement to work from home, if possible, and to limit unnecessary trips. Some of the many behaviour changes that may flow from COVID-19 are that more people will be working remotely, or working from home more often, or work different hours to limit interaction with other commuters and colleagues. Should these changes become the new norm, it will greatly assist with the easing of traffic congestion on our main roads, shorten travelling times, and lower carbon emissions. We can also save many lives as an increase in road users often leads to more fatalities, as the above statistics indicate,’ said Alderman Purchase.

End

Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office