Have your say on proposed changes to M3

• Author: Staff Reporter
• Published date: 27 October 2022
• Publication title: Southern Suburbs Tatler

In an unsigned statement, the City of Cape Town announced that it is proposing several changes to the M3 to alleviate traffic congestion

“The intention is to alleviate the bottlenecks along the M3 between Upper Hillwood Road and Newlands Avenue,” according to the statement.

The City’s Mayco member for for Urban Mobility, Rob Quintas says thousands of commuters use the M3 every day to travel between the southern suburbs and the city.

“The M3 is a strategic north-south freeway and must facilitate mobility and access to and from the city,” he says.

Mr Quintas says commuters familiar with his route have first-hand experience of the congestion during the peak hour periods along the section between Wynberg Hill and Newlands Avenue in particular.

Mr Quintas says the City commissioned an in-depth study of this section of the M3 and according to the traffic assessments the travelling time during the peak hour periods is up to four times longer than during free-flow conditions.

“The study makes recommendations on what changes can be implemented to improve traffic flow, adding that these will have an immediate positive impact for the far majority of people who are travelling along the M3,” he says.

A study finalised last June included:

 An assessment of the traffic safety issues and how the signalised intersections at Fernwood Avenue and Upper Hillwood Road are impeding traffic flow along the M3.

 An assessment of the capacity of the following intersections along the M3: Rhodes Avenue, Fernwood Avenue, Paradise Road, Struben Road, Sidmouth Avenue, Torquay Avenue, and Upper Hillwood Road.

 The impact of the proposed median closures at Fernwood Avenue, Torquay Avenue and Upper Hillwood Road.

 Proposed rerouting options for those who would be impacted by the above median closures, revised intersection layouts, and pedestrian crossings.

 A comparison between head and rear end crashes for the M3 with other major arterials such as Jakes Gerwel Drive, confirmed that the M3 has the highest proportion of head and rear end crashes which is 65% between the intersections with Newlands Avenue and Upper Hillwood Road; and that these types of accidents would be significantly reduced by the proposed removal of the Upper Hillwood Road and Fernwood Road intersections.

 A cost/benefit analysis confirms the benefits in savings like time, fuel, and safety are three times the value of the estimated cost to implement the proposals.

The following proposals are now available for...