NATIONAL NEWS - Earlier this year, in June, the Western Cape Mobility Department (WCMD), in partnership with the Cape Winelands District Municipality (CWDM), completed a series of critical pedestrian safety upgrades around Pioneer School for the Visually Impaired in Worcester. 

These improvements form part of the Provincial Sustainable Transport Programme (PSTP) and aim to create a safer, more accessible environment for visually impaired learners who navigate these streets daily.

Located in a busy part of Worcester, Pioneer School had long faced challenges due to unsafe intersections, uneven pavements, and the absence of traffic-calming measures. 

Learners and teachers frequently raised concerns about speeding vehicles, inaccessible pavements, and the lack of safe crossing points surrounding the school.

Motivated by these concerns and the school’s award-winning advocacy in the National Road Safety Debate Competition, the WCMD prioritised the upgrade of six high-risk sites around the school to ensure dignified and safer mobility for the learners.

The project delivered comprehensive upgrades across six locations, including:

• Three raised intersections at Tulbagh & Adderley Streets, Tulbagh & Porter Streets, and Church & Porter Streets.
• Two raised pedestrian crossings, one directly opposite the school and another on Porter Street.
• Additional safety features such as a speed hump at the Pick n Pay entrance, new kerbs and channels, tactile paving, handrails, improved sidewalks, and enhanced signage and road markings.

These interventions slow down traffic, increase driver awareness, and create safer, more predictable walking environments for visually impaired learners.

Minister Isaac Sileku highlighted the importance of the upgrades: “As the Mobility Department, we are committed to building a transport system where inclusivity is not optional but essential. 

These upgrades ensure that visually impaired learners can move with dignity and safety. Protecting our most vulnerable road users is at the heart of our work, and Pioneer School now reflects that commitment.”

Blessing Nhundu, a learner at the school, appreciated the convenience and safety that the upgrades have provided and said, “We no longer have to worry about getting hurt or being unsafe. Our lives have significantly improved because we can now move around with confidence and independently.”

“Previously, the sidewalk was quite broken up, making walking with a long cane and a guide dog quite challenging sometimes; one would trip or possibly hurt their ankle. However, now these upgrades have changed all of that and made walking safer again,” said Philip Crous, an IT Manager at the neighbouring Hein Wagner Academy.

These upgrades directly support the Western Cape Government’s goal of creating safer communities and improving mobility for all, particularly for people with special needs. 

The Mobility Department remains focused on reducing risks for vulnerable pedestrians and ensuring that every learner, regardless of ability, can travel confidently in their community.

We are committed to delivering more of such services and initiatives across the province.

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