Lights at arrestor bed to make N1 safer again

After about three years of struggling to get the arrestor bed outside Louis Trichardt on the N1 north 100% functional again, there is finally light at the proverbial "end of the tunnel" as the lights were finally, literally switched on again a fortnight ago.

The issue of lighting at the arrestor bed has been a contentious one for years. The lights initially went off as a result of a lack of maintenance and of cable theft. Since then, few have assumed responsibility to have these lights fixed.

“The last couple of years we had numerous meetings with SANRAL's contractor, the local traffic department and the municipality. There was also a major problem regarding who should take responsibility for the monthly electricity bill. With all this going on, the arrestor bed was shrouded in complete darkness for years,” said Mr Dirk Meissenheimer, chairman of the Sector Crime Forum, which had been actively involved in getting the arrestor bed functional again for some time now.

Readers might wonder why the Sector Crime Forum involved themselves in the struggle as the matter is not obviously crime-related. The arrestor bed was initially built as a preventative measure to try and put an end to runaway trucks causing loss of life at the three intersections in town that cross the N1.

“The lack of lighting did, in fact, cause a risk to people’s safety. As there was no lighting after hours, truck drivers refused to adhere to the mandatory stop at the arrestor bed, for fear of being attacked or robbed. With the trucks not stopping, residents' lives were once more put at risk with regard to runaway trucks,” said Meissenheimer. He added that, with the lights now working, local law enforcers such as the Makhado Police and provincial traffic department could also utilise the lighting at night for stop-and-search operations and road blocks.

But why the sudden spark to get the issue of the arrestor bed sorted out again? Meissenheimer attributes the recent efforts to the appointment of a new SANRAL route manager, Mr Johan de Vries. "Since his appointment, we have been actively engaged in talks. Johan realised the seriousness of the situation and immediately made work of it," said Meissenheimer.

Apart from fixing the lights at the arrestor bed, residents might also have noticed workers repairing and replacing safety barriers along the whole stretch of N1 going through town over the past week. This project also falls under Johan’s supervision. “As for the immediate future, there are still one or two issues that need to be sorted out at the arrestor bed, such as the fact that not all the lights are working. This is mainly due to cabling that needs to be replaced. We, as the Sector Crime Forum, are also actively engaged in talks with SANRAL, through Johan, regarding other problem areas, such as the matter of hawkers along the N1, problematic traffic circles and illegal entrances to roads. The two main areas of concern are the illegal entrance to the N1 at Makhado Park and the illegal entrance to the Thohoyandou road behind the new extension in Eltivillas. These issues will be handled as priority,” said Meissenheimer.

News - Date: 04 December 2016

Andries van Zyl

Andries joined the Zoutpansberger and Limpopo Mirror in April 1993 as a darkroom assistant. Within a couple of months he moved over to the production side of the newspaper and eventually doubled as a reporter. In 1995 he left the newspaper group and travelled overseas for a couple of months. In 1996, Andries rejoined the Zoutpansberger as a reporter. In August 2002, he was appointed as News Editor of the Zoutpansberger, a position he holds until today.

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