Transport for Cape Town has set aside a special budget allocation of R18 million to implement 270 traffic calming projects across the city in the current financial year.

“The majority of the traffic calming measures, such as speed humps, raised pedestrian crossings and intersections, will be implemented at schools and along streets in residential areas where we have a high number of pedestrians or cyclists using or crossing the streets,” says Councillor Brett Herron, the City’s Mayoral Committee Member: Transport for Cape Town.

“The purpose of the 270 projects is first and foremost to protect the most vulnerable road users among us: children, those with special needs, cyclists and other pedestrians. As a caring city, we believe that this money will be well spent to reduce the risks of death or injury of pedestrians.”

The budget allocation follows on from the new Traffic Calming Policy that served before the City’s Transport for Cape Town Portfolio Committee on Thursday 5 November 2015, and is now recommended to Council for final approval.

“Apart from establishing a sustainable and responsive regime for the provision of traffic calming measures across the city, the new policy also addresses the current backlog of 500 traffic calming projects to the value of R30 million.

“Going forward, TCT will implement traffic calming measures at 50 schools each financial year, as well as a further 150 projects from the list of approved projects, subject to available funding.

“We are, however, kicking off with 270 projects this year – demonstrating our resolution to eradicate the backlog within a reasonable time period” says Councillor Herron.

The calming measures will be implemented by a number of contractors across the city. The number of projects and the costs differ from region to region, depending on the type of calming measures to be implemented, the typography of the roads, and the number of schools in each area.