New plan to ease Bayhead congestion

STAKEHOLDERS HAVE come up with a new proposal to address chronic congestion at the Bayhead Road complex – the only access to the Port of Durban’s main container terminals – but authorities have been slow to react. "The plan is to have keep-clear chequer board markings at all the junctions along the Bayhead Road to allow access/egress to the businesses in the area in peak hours and no-stopping, no-parking logos painted along the emergency lanes,” says David Wilkinson, owner of Elcon Crane Hire and head of the subcommittee of the Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) tasked with finding measures to overcome the Bayhead congestion problem. “Despite meetings with the department in charge of road signs and the traffic management department, nothing has yet happened,” said Wilkinson. “And, without this signage, the Durban metro police can’t take action.” According to Wilkinson the road is still under pressure despite a number of attempts to overcome the problem of road transport logjams. “The congestion has been reduced to a certain extent with the opening of the A-check facility at the Durban container terminal (DCT) and its 300 vehicle parking allocation,” he said. The objective of the DCCI sub-committee which he heads is to find appropriate means of containing congestion for the next two-to-three years of expected rapid traffic growth at the port – with the current forecast being in excess of 10% growth a year. “The A-check is only seen as a short-term respite,” Wilkinson added, “and we still see jam-ups in Bayhead.” In trying to overcome the congestion, the DCCI has formed a good working relationship with Superintendent Arnand Maharaj of the traffic police – who is assisting with the tidying-up of the junctions along the Bayhead, South Coast and Langeberg Roads. “He’s tried to put traffic officers to control these junctions,” said Wilkinson, “but it’s proving difficult, because he is very short-handed. “But when the officers are present, they’re extremely effective.”