Motorists urged to be careful using Belgrave Bridge in wet weather conditions
BRYANSTON – Ward 103 councillor Vincent Earp cautioned that the bridge can become very dangerous when wet.
Ward 103 councillor Vincent Earp and chair of the Bryanston East Community Forum Ian Tumiel urge motorists to exercise caution when making use of the Belgrave Bridge, especially in wet weather conditions.
The infamous bridge has often caused vehicles to wash into the river during stormy weather conditions. Tumiel said, “It is not easy to gauge the depth or power of the water flow and motorists don’t realise that if the water is high enough, the car will float off.”
Earp cautioned that the bridge can become very dangerous when wet. “Motorists tend to think that if the water is trickling over the lip onto the low lying bridge that it is still safe. It is not,” he said.
“The power of the water flowing can never be underestimated. Just a few centimetres flowing over the bridge can pull a car into the river.”
He said that when the water level is low, it is relatively safe to cross the bridge as long as the motorist is not going at speed. Using the car braking system on a wet surface can cause a car to slide over the side of the bridge. “Nearly all cases where vehicles have gone into the Braamfontein Spruit is a result of driver errors.”
Earp encouraged motorists to use alternative routes via Ballyclare and Bryanston drives when it is raining heavily and the river is swollen.
He said that the local security company normally puts the booms down during wet conditions but sometimes frustrated motorists lift the booms and neglect to put them down again, putting the next car into a risky situation.
Tumiel suggested that the bigger problem was daily use of the bridge in peak traffic. He explained that traffic backs up during peak times, causing drivers to get impatient and race across the bridge, misjudging the width and crashing over.
He suggested that a new bridge taking traffic in both directions, which is high enough to avoid flooding, needs to be built. “As an interim measure in peak traffic, either a pointsman should be deployed or an intelligent traffic control system installed that speeds up the flow of traffic,” said Tumiel.
Earp added that the JRA considered upgrading the bridge in the past, although he is unaware of any plans in the pipeline.
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