Safety is nothing new
THIS week, the Republic of Moldova revealed its latest road safety product. It’s a 3D effect painted pedestrian crossing. Clever. Designed to make motorists slow down because it looks like it is made of concrete strips, it once again shows that the best ideas can be the simplest ones.
Which begs the question why SA so often fails to get the basics right when it comes to road safety. Obviously there is the matter of drivers who ignore the basic rules, but what about infrastructure?
The traffic light was first created in 1868 and installed on a bridge in London. It was not ideal as it used gas to power a red and a green lamp and a year later a gas leak caused it to explode. It was only in 1912 that the first electric traffic light was created in the US giving the green light to a piece of technology that has not only made roads safer for over a century, but also contributed greatly to traffic flow and thus the productivity of the economy.
Despite this, agencies still battle to get traffic lights to work consistently in SA.
Then there is the matter of road markings, probably the most simple solution of all. I have written about this matter before but every day I drive to the Times Media building in Rosebank, Johannesburg along roads that have little to no road markings. A number of sources have informed me that the paint that is often used is only guaranteed for six months.
In Sweden this year I spoke with a tarmac expert, who tests how paint bonds with the road surface. In Sweden, as in many other countries, they combine the paint with a residue, ensuring that it lasts for years in spite of huge temperature fluctuations. Again, a simple solution and not a new one.
There are even trials of glow in the dark road markings taking place around the world. South African Transport Minister Dipuo Peters has dismissed the need for this, stating that in SA we use cats eyes. Simply dismissing technology out of hand does not help.
Today basic infrastructure is vital not just for road safety and saving lives, but also for improving productivity. Tomorrow it will be even more essential as intelligent cars cannot function without such simple things as clear road markings. We need to be more intelligent today for the intelligence of tomorrow.
Mark Smyth