The South African National Road Agency Limited (Sanral) has issued an update on its Eastern Cape Intelligent Transport System (ITS) project. This is the first such project in the province. The ITS will keep drivers informed of road travel conditions on the national roads, in real time.

“The technology that is used on ITS enables us to respond speedily to incidents on our national roads,” said Sanral Eastern Cape provincial head Mbulelo Peterson. “Working together with law enforcement officials, the technology also assists us to further enhance and improve communication during cases of emergencies on our roads. The ITS project will also assist to monitor vandalism on Sanral’s R75 and N2 national roads in Gqeberha, as well as to respond to safety-related issues on the road network. The first phase of the project is expected to be completed by June this year.”

June will also see the start of operations by Sanral’s Eastern Cape Interim Traffic Monitoring Centre (ITMC), which forms the brain of the ITS.

The State-owned company further reported on its related partnership with the Nelson Mandela Bay metropolitan municipality, to improve road safety at the community level. This project is focused on traffic signals at selected intersections in the city and will make use of the capabilities of the ITS.

“In Nelson Mandela Bay, we will install CCTV cameras along the N2, R75 and R335 national roads,” explained Sanral ITS project manager Danfred Adams. “The R75 and Mati Road intersection was also identified as a pilot project to implement and test the ITS security and vandalism solution by monitoring and responding to theft and vandalism of the traffic signal infrastructure. Through our engagement with the municipality and the Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber, Sanral will also pursue public-private partnerships where the business community can partner on some of these initiatives such as ‘Adopt a Traffic Signal’ or by sponsoring provision of private security services. We will also involve the community in further consultations and community-based projects.”

So far, the ITS project’s cost has been estimated at more than R41-million. Local subcontractors were also employed on the project, up to last month. A total of 104 job opportunities were created, of which 53 were for adults and 51 for young people. Currently, 24 people were undergoing training by accredited service providers.

In due course, the ITS will be extended to cover the Buffalo City metropolitan municipality, the Sarah Baartman district municipality, and the Amathole district municipality.