Traffic Hazards At The Coast

AFTER reading your story of the tragic motor cycle accident on the Swakopmund – Walvis Bay road, I would like to comment as follows: When I saw these strange concrete blocks being erected next to the road at Nonidas and the “Vierkantklip”, the first thought that entered my mind was:”I do not want to be sitting on a motorbike leaving the road and running into these blocks, that must be a horrific!” To my mind, these blocks are not only of no use at all, but are also placed much too close to the road.

When the tar roads were built many years ago, most obstacles such as rocks etc were placed far away from the road and the adjacent ground was graded to form a smooth surface. Of course this was done for a safety reason:if your car leaves the road, at least you have a chance to manage it to a standstill without overturning it etc.Nowadays, our road authorities are deliberately placing obstacles so close to the road that if you have to leave the road for whatever reason, you will hit these.Here, I am thinking of the poles and steel ropes next to the road at Langstrand, those concrete blocks, and even our Police.For their road block signs, they use large rocks to keep these from falling over in the wind, but when they leave, the rocks just stay on the road shoulder.I spoke to traffic officers standing close to these, but they showed no interest in my complaint.What about the road close to Arandis, where we have curves with a negative camber causing numerous accidents and deaths.You see the skid marks, you see the crosses next to the road, but nothing is being done, these accident black spots will not be eliminated.Even in Swakopmund, the Tobias Hainyeko street has such a bad curve causing many cars to crash through the fence of the Erongo Regional Council, that nobody cares repairing it any more.It seems to me our authorities have the “It serves you right” attitude towards the motoring public.On the one hand we pay for not having a drivers license on you, not wearing seat belts, all in the name of safety, and on the other hand the authorities are turning a blind eye for the elimination of accident black spots.My big question is:Are we serious about road safety, or are we making money in the name of it? If it was not for the concrete blocks, those young people on their motorbike would have had a much better chance.I hope, that the guilty conscience of the people responsible for the blocks, will bother them forever.Wilfied Groenewald SwakopmundOf course this was done for a safety reason:if your car leaves the road, at least you have a chance to manage it to a standstill without overturning it etc.Nowadays, our road authorities are deliberately placing obstacles so close to the road that if you have to leave the road for whatever reason, you will hit these.Here, I am thinking of the poles and steel ropes next to the road at Langstrand, those concrete blocks, and even our Police.For their road block signs, they use large rocks to keep these from falling over in the wind, but when they leave, the rocks just stay on the road shoulder.I spoke to traffic officers standing close to these, but they showed no interest in my complaint.What about the road close to Arandis, where we have curves with a negative camber causing numerous accidents and deaths.You see the skid marks, you see the crosses next to the road, but nothing is being done, these accident black spots will not be eliminated.Even in Swakopmund, the Tobias Hainyeko street has such a bad curve causing many cars to crash through the fence of the Erongo Regional Council, that nobody cares repairing it any more.It seems to me our authorities have the “It serves you right” attitude towards the motoring public.On the one hand we pay for not having a drivers license on you, not wearing seat belts, all in the name of safety, and on the other hand the authorities are turning a blind eye for the elimination of accident black spots.My big question is:Are we serious about road safety, or are we making money in the name of it? If it was not for the concrete blocks, those young people on their motorbike would have had a much better chance.I hope, that the guilty conscience of the people responsible for the blocks, will bother them forever.Wilfied Groenewald Swakopmund