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On Saturday, a tourist bus careened into a MyCiti bus stop before slamming into two parked cars and an apartment complex at the bustling intersection of Kloof Nek and Belle Ombre roads in Cape Town.

This marks the second accident to have happened on the steep road within the space of two weeks, among countless others that have occurred over the years.

The View Africa coach charter driver allegedly lost control of his vehicle after the brakes failed before it slammed into the bus stop station. At the time that News24 reported it, no injuries had been noted, but the traffic department said that “25 people were refusing treatment and transport”.

The city’s traffic, fire and medic services, and police were on the scene.

It’s happened again! 🤬

This time a minibus has taken out the @MyCiTiBus stop and plummeted through the wall of the flats on Kloof Nek Road. 🚐

📹: Unknown Source#CapeTown pic.twitter.com/XdxrBSZrIO

— Dylan Moore (@MrCPT) October 12, 2024

This comes amid calls for safety measures in Kloof Nek Road after a cement truck lost control in September, crashing into 17 vehicles.

🚨Truck Crash | 02/10/2024🚨

A cement truck driver lost control of the vehicle and crashed into several vehicles in Kloof Nek Road, Cape Town.

At least 10 people were injured in the incident.

The accident has also impacted electricity supply in the area. pic.twitter.com/qzBuIqhVGk

— SCP SECURITY (@SCP_SECURITY) October 1, 2024

Ward Councilor Francine Higham said that the City was working “very closely” with the urban mobility teams to see what measures could be put in place to prevent further accidents on Kloof Nek Road.

She also called on motorists to ensure that their vehicles were roadworthy.

“In most cases, if the brakes fail, they must be tested. People must make sure their vehicles are roadworthy,” she said, adding that the bus had been coming from Signal Hill.

“Thankfully, there have been no injuries (so far), but all the tourists have left the scene as another bus came to pick them up.”

Meanwhile, several people were injured on 26 September when a cement truck lost control on Kloof Nek Road, dragging several cars with it before driving into a recently opened ice cream shop.

Higham revealed that after a devastating accident on the same road in September last year, she worked closely with the City’s Urban Mobility Department, pushing for urgent measures to curb speeding and enhance safety. The incident she referred to involved a runaway 24-wheel truck that barreled into vehicles on Kloof Nek Road before flipping over near an apartment building.

Former Miss SA Cindy Nell-Roberts was among the injured in the chaotic crash and was rushed to the hospital along with five others. The runaway truck ploughed into three cars and a delivery scooter, leaving two more vehicles in its destructive wake.

SERIOUS TRUCK ACCIDENT on M62 Kloof Nek Road between Ethan and Camp Road. ROAD TEMPORARY CLOSED. USE ALTERNATIVE ROUTES. pic.twitter.com/gD4YwahBn9

— Cape Town Community Safety Reports (@MohauKgolokwane) September 12, 2023

Among the measures the City is looking at is updating signage all along Kloof Nek Road to reflect that the speed limit has been reduced from 60km/h to 50km/h. The speed camera has been updated and they have also “included signage near the top of Kloof Nek Road to remind truck drivers to gear down, which is preferable to relying solely on brakes, as they are sometimes at risk of failing on steep declines,” Higham said.

“And the City also installed a new signalised pedestrian crossing at the top of Kloof Nek Road, at the intersection of Tafelberg Road and Signal Hill Drive.”

She explained that speed bumps weren’t a viable option for improving road safety on that stretch, as the steep gradient could turn them into launch pads for drivers who don’t slow down in time, making the problem even worse.

“Residents are also calling for the ban on trucks along Kloof Nek Road, but this wouldn’t be possible either, given that Kloof Nek Road is a major thoroughfare to facilitate access for construction vehicles and the delivery of goods in the City Bowl, CBD and Atlantic Seaboard,” Higham said.

“Redirecting these vehicles along the coastal road would also greatly exacerbate traffic congestion in that area.”

In an effort to highlight that these kinds of crashes aren’t “just a number or a viral video or content for jokes”, Michele Macfarlane shared how the impact of the 26 September crash on “the victims and their families has been catastrophic”, per TimesLIVE.

Macfarlane, whose brother Ian ended up in a coma in the ICU after the multi-car crash, noted how Higham’s media mitigation campaign to downplay the impact by saying there were ” Thankfully, no fatalities” was shocking, to say the least.

“My brother Ian is the most compassionate, kind and philanthropic person I know. Spending his life trying to help others and creating a business that seeks to uplift and support those in need. He has worked to build the Ubuntu Wellness Centre, to train and develop skills for dozens of people. Ian always put others before himself.

Now I’m looking at someone I’ve loved my whole life lying in a coma.

This is what “no fatalities” looks like.”

“None of this fills me with the ice-cold dread as much as the sheer, relentless unresponsiveness,” she continues.

“We appeal to local government bodies and those who can make a difference to implement the changes that have been promised for decades and that are crucially needed to save lives,” Macfarlane urged.

She refers to the “underlying rage that this didn’t need to happen”, adding that she read the guarantees made over the years and more recently, from urban mobility MEC Isaac Mbuloelo Sileku, City of Cape Town traffic spokesperson Maxine Bezuidenhout, police spokesperson Capt FC van Wyk, and ward councillor Higham.

“Maybe you feel you have done plenty and are doing all you can, but please optimise the resources in your power to reduce the accidents on Kloof Nek Road. These accidents affect the lives of the victims, their families and friends, onlookers and the first responders in life-changing ways.”

[sources:news24&timeslive]