VIDEO: Field’s Hill under the spotlight
With the recent announcement by the Department of Transport's MEC, that there is no budget to repair or maintain Field's Hill or the M13, the Highway Mail met with the local councillor to highlight the issues that motorists face each day.
THE banks along Field’s Hill are littered with car crash debris, figurative tombstones that sit as silent and grim reminders of the numerous accidents that have occurred on the busy road.
During a recent transport portfolio committee meeting, the MEC for Transport, Bheki Ntuli, announced there was no budget for maintenance or repairs along the M13, and Field’s Hill in particular.
The Highway Mail met with the local Ward 10 councillor, Tex Collins, for an on-site inspection.
“Field’s Hill has long been problematic and, in reality, present areas of concern which have been obvious for many years,” said Collins.
The M13 is a major arterial highway used by hundreds of commuters each day and Collins noted that, with the exponential increase in traffic along the route, the problems would become unmanageable.
ALSO READ: Department of Transport cites budget cuts for no maintenance on Field’s Hill
“Without a doubt, the major concern is Field’s Hill and it is here that some serious attention should be directed. Some years ago, cat’s eyes were installed and provided a much-needed visual aspect to the roadway. Over time, they have disappeared and are no longer functional. Needless to say, the Department of Transport (DoT) has made no effort to replace them,” said Collins.
With the number of accidents, the most recent one involving a truck smashing through the concrete barriers and coming to rest on the bank, the councillor has called for the barriers to be re-aligned and replaced.
“Jersey blocks go way back to the 50s, first used in the US and are specifically designed to re-direct a vehicle hitting a block to be forced into a parallel alignment, preventing a roll over. They are far more effective than armco barriers, many of which have been buried under vegetation and sand for years, proving the Dot does not do any form of maintenance at all. This applies to the downward and upward directions,” said Collins.
The mandatory truck stop on the downward route, which was enforced after a horrific truck accident at the base Field’s Hill that claimed the lives of 24 people, has been largely ignored, noted Collins.
“Big trucks ignore the stop and continue down Field’s Hill at excessive speeds, which so often results in serious accidents. All vehicles of more than three tons should be barred from using it. Any transgression should be heavily penalised,” said Collins.
There are also reports of occasional rock falls that plague the upward route.
“As the councillor for the area, I receive numerous requests from the community to do something about Field’s Hill and the M13 in general. Despite correspondence and request by myself and our DA representative in the Provincial Legislature, the Dot has done absolutely nothing to address the continued degradation of the M13 and Field’s Hill,” said Collins.
The Department of Transport did not comment by the time of publication.
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