The City of Cape Town’s Metro Police officers remove loads of rubble from major highways every evening. The rubble, which includes bricks and blocks of concrete, is placed in the road to disable vehicles or get motorists to stop, making them vulnerable to criminals.

‘It has become a near nightly occurrence for Metro Police officers to remove rubble from the N2 in addition to their regular patrols. While opportunistic criminals lie in wait for motorists to stop, slow down or have their vehicles disabled, it also has other consequences. Inclement weather, such as thick mist or heavy rain, also lead to more collisions as visibility is reduced and the debris has less chance of being spotted,’ said the City of Cape Town’s Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith.
 
Most of the incidents occur between midnight and 04:00 when there is less traffic on the road.
 
‘The success of the ambush is based on motorists not being able to see the obstruction and therefore day time incidents are rare. Despite this, motorists need to be vigilant at all times and not count on daylight as a preventative measure,’ said Alderman Smith.

While there are no exact locations for where rubble is placed, officers concentrate their efforts between Borchards Quarry as far as the Symphony Way bridge and predominately inbound between the R300 and the Airport approach off ramp.
 
There is also no lane preference and criminals will sometimes stagger the rubble, so that when you swerve from one lane to the other you collide with debris placed strategically in the lane you are swerving into.
 
‘Do not be fooled into thinking that it’s a stone that may have fallen off a truck or it’s there by accident. These are deliberate criminal attempts so that when vehicles break down, passengers are robbed or possibly worse,’ said Alderman Smith.
 
Officers assist between two and six vehicles every night, but not all of these are because of the vehicle colliding with rubble.
 
‘Common assistance and safety is rendered due to fuel and mechanical related issues. During May alone our officers assisted 347 stranded motorists mainly due to mechanical breakdowns, fuel and flat tyres. This is not the sum total of drivers assisted as others are helped by the South African Police Service or security companies. Once again I implore drivers to ensure their vehicles are roadworthy and they have enough fuel to get where they are going,’ said Alderman Smith.
 
Metro Police officers patrol the N2 for 22 hours a day.
 
‘Motorists must be vigilant, especially at night or when visibility is less than ideal. If you must travel that time of the night, try to use a safer alternate route to your destination. Should you be forced to stop, call for help immediately so that enforcement services can be alerted and dispatched. Stay alert and monitor your surroundings until help arrives,’ added Alderman Smith.
 
In an emergency, call 021 480 7700 from your cellphone.

Source: City Of Cape Town