The City of Cape Town is requesting that its residents provide their comment on a proposal to turn Queen Victoria Street in the CBD into a one-way street. The plan was announced on Wednesday, February 10 and proposes to convert the street into a one-way in the direction of Wale Street towards Orange Street.
The public may comment on this proposal until submissions close on March 11, 2021.
According to the City, it has received numerous complaints about congestion along Queen Victoria Street, which goes past the Western Cape High Court, the South African Museum, the Planetarium and the Company Gardens.
Side-swipe incidents are reportedly a massive problem on the street, and this is attributed to limited space available when the on-street parking bays are filled. Tour buses also pass through this route, filling the narrow street even further.
“Our traffic engineers have done preliminary investigations and considered various solutions. The most feasible and easy to implement, is the proposal to turn Queen Victoria Street into a one-way street, from Wale Street all the way towards the mountain, where it intersects with Orange Street,” said Mayco member for transport Felicity Purchase.
“Traffic flow will be improved, we will see fewer accidents, as there won’t be conflict between vehicles from different directions, and pedestrians will be safer given that they will only need to negotiate traffic coming from one direction.”
The proposed one-way street will entail the following:
– Bus stops are located on the left-hand side of Queen Victoria Street when travelling towards Orange Street. Thus, by turning it into a one-way street, pedestrian safety will be improved, as commuters will have near-side boarding and alighting facilities, and would not need to cross the busy street
– Road safety will be improved, as traffic along Orange Street heading towards Buitengracht will not be permitted to turn right into Queen Victoria Street.
“We have also investigated the possible impact this proposal may have on signalised intersections in the area, taking diverted traffic into account,” Purchase added. “From our analysis, the additional traffic can be accommodated with changes to the timing of signals along the affected routes.”
Comments, recommendations, and input on the proposal to turn Queen Victoria Street into a one-way street can be submitted online at www.capetown.gov.za/haveyoursay and via email at [email protected].
Picture: toursmaps.com
