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INDUSTRY OBSERVATION

New compulsory stop at
Van Reenens

The N3TC is currently engaged in three important road-safety enhancements around the Van Reenens Pass area - and FleetWatch urges all operators using the route to inform their drivers of these developments.

Most important to note is that a new compulsory stop for trucks is currently being constructed at a safe point near Windy Corner at the top of the pass. The primary aim of the stop is to ensure that trucks come to a complete stop thus ensuring proper working of their braking systems. There will also be a law enforcement lay-bye area for vehicle fitness inspections and general law enforcement activities. After stopping, trucks will engage their lowest gear and proceed down the pass in a controlled, safe manner. 

Secondly, there will be demarcated lane restrictions on the steepest 7km section of the pass, effectively ensuring a dedicated truck lane. No vehicle with a gross vehicle mass of more than 16 tons will be allowed to travel either northbound or southbound in the fast lane on this section. The speed limit in the slow lane will be a strictly enforced 60km/hour.

Operators should note that the law enforcement authorities have installed a set of mounted cameras at strategic points to enable them to enforce the speed limit and to monitor large trucks that try to avoid the slow lane and the compulsory stop.

Thirdly, new high visibility signage is being installed on the pass in conjunction with upgraded road marking and road-studs. These measures are intended to enhance route awareness, particularly at night and during extreme weather conditions, as well as regulate speed and the operation of the compulsory truck stop and dedicated truck lanes. According to the N3TC, investigations into strategically placed Variable Message Signage ("VMS") for the pass are at an advanced stage and will be installed in due course.

The objective of all these interventions is for the N3TC to address, insofar as it is possible from an engineering point of view, the greatest causes of accidents on the pass, namely vehicle unfitness (in particular inoperative brakes), rear-end collisions due to high speed differentials, dangerous inter-lane manoeuvres and driver disorientation in extreme weather conditions.

As for the implementation dates, the N3TC tells FleetWatch that the road marking and signage demarcating the slow lane as a compulsory lane for vehicles of 16t or more on the top 7 km section of Van Reenen (northbound and southbound) will be in place by the second week of December. Strict policing will start at this time. Simultaneously, the speed restriction for trucks over 16t will be reduced from 80km/hour to 60 km/hour; 

Although the infrastructure, street lighting etc for the compulsory truck stop is planned to be in place by mid-December, it has been decided in consultation with traffic officials, not to enforce the measure until January because of festive season traffic and other demands on RTI time. It will be strictly implemented and enforced 24/7 with effect from 15 January 2007.