Access Road between Port & Cape St Francis
Is it not time that a road should be built to join St Francis Bay Drive near the port and da Gama Road, Cape St Francis rather than having the only access via the R330?
We realise this is an extremely controversial subject but in light of the recent Cape St Francis house fire, possibly it is an appropriate time for it to be broached. The fire department took over half an hour to respond to the call last week,not because they were all fast asleep but rather because of the distance they had to travel to attend to the emergency. The fire, at the northern end of Cape St Francis, meant that the fire tender was required to travel almost a full circle, virtually doubling back on itself owing to the fact that there is no direct access from St Francis Bay to Cape St Francis other than the R330.
During the 2016 fires Cape St Francis’ only access was via the Air Park for a couple of days and had the Air Park also been ablaze, Cape St Francis would have effectively been isolated with no way in or out. Had there been a medical emergency which, considering the fire, it was highly possible that there could have been a serious injury or medical condition.
Then too consider! Townships around the country have been the scene of violent demonstrations and road blockages in recent weeks and what would the situation be if Sea Vista were to follow suit. Again Cape St Francis would be isolated for it seems the police are reluctant to intervene as they have shown in other areas
Of course in emergencies the Air Park could open their access road but this narrow, steep access point is certainly not suitable for fully laden fire tenders or other heavy equipment that may need to access the area. Also this would compromise their privacy.
Last but certainly not least is the economic consideration. Certainly the least important consideration to some but not maybe to those struggling financially. One could say it is “the cost of living in a remote area”but consider for those struggling to survive with ever increasing cost of living, school fees and of course petrol cost that seem quite likely to reach R18 per litre in the not too distant future. To probably half of those who live in Cape St Francis, those who live south of the resort it would still pay them to use the R330 but those north of the resort, the saving in fuel costs could be significant. If an access road were built it certainly wouldn’t increase traffic along da Gama Road and would probably reduce traffic..
Now the suggestion that has reached St Francis Today is that no one is looking for a highway but rather a basic dirt access road. Possibly it could closed with booms and only opened if required. Another suggestion is that it could be opened out of season but closed in season.
This certainly is a subject that needs to be discussed by Cape St Francis Civics association, the Cape St Francis residents, St Francis Property Owners and the Kouga municipality.
Please don’t shoot the messenger but please do have your say in the COMMENTS section below. Should there be an access road or not?
Many thanks for the proposal, this was an thought of me and the kids a few days ago.
Cape St Francis have one of the most beautiful beaches and if we nead to use the beach, it is a long way around.
I do like the proposal very much.
This road will be a win win for all.
I bought a property opposite this beach for the very reasons you are proposing the road. Why didn’t you? Privacy is important to those of us residing here . Use your own beach
no
No
Should this go ahead please don’t use the contractors doing the bridge. i only have 25 years of my life left.
Agreed
Please leave the reserve intact .
Is nothing sacred anymore
Definitel
As background, the construction of the access road from the Airpark into Cape St Francis was only allowed by the Kouga Municipality on condition that, in the event of an emergency, the Airpark would serve as a link with St Francis Bay. Councillor Ben Rheeder can attest to this. Therefore privacy for the Airpark should not be an issue.
Furthermore, it should be known that, in fact the Airpark link road to St Francis-on-Sea crosses State-owned land and was built illegally and without permission. As such, this link road should at least be able to provide access to the general community in an emergency.
The Disaster Management group should be made aware that this access through the Airpark exists and is a designated emergency road. Even though it is not a proper road, it is more than adequate for use by emergency vehicles if traversed with care. Emergency vehicles often have to use tracks that are more rudimentary.
It is vital that the Disaster Management team are made aware of this emergency access route.
Thanks for raising this Col. As you point out, this is a controversial matter. The residents of Cape St Francis have been resisting this road since an illegal one was bulldozed through the Cape St Francis Nature Reserve in the 1980s. Simply put, we don’t want it. In 2009 by the Cape St Francis Civics conducted questionnaire to assess the perceptions of residents on a wide range of issues. Two hundred and fifty residents completed to the questionnaire. Some 95% of respondents strongly agreed or agreed with the statement: “No road should be developed to link Cape St Francis via the Cape St Francis Nature Reserve”. So, proponents of this road must expect resistance from local stakeholders. They must also expect resistance from the provincial conservation and tourism authorities who recognise the irreplaceable biodiversity and tourism value of the Cape St Francis Nature Reserve and will summarily reject any proposal to build a road through it.
The claim that emergency vehicles dispatched from St Francis Bay to Cape St Francis will reach their destination more speedily via the proposed route is an untested opinion. In fact the route through the reserve is longer and almost entirely within town limits where even emergency vehicles need to exercise caution. Besides, there is an agreement for emergency vehicles to access our village via the Air Park.
Access from the port would definitely be desirable reducing distance to the beach and saving petrol
Dear Sir/madam,
Unequivocal no! A proposal such as this threatens the entire reason people chose to live in Cape St Francis for the natural beauty and seclusion. People actively seek out the ends of villages because they are quiet. This proposal makes no mention of the environmental impact to the already threatened and fragile coastal vegetation belt. The author of the article is concerned about “compromising the privacy” of the air park residents, what of the residents of Cape St Francis and the sure influx of people to the eastern part of the village and the associated traffic in an area where people enjoy walking their children and pets down to the beach without having to dodge speeding trades vehicles and tourists? Furthermore, who will upgrade the current road (the state of which I personally approve of as a traffic calming measure). Who will maintain the gravel road when our current roads remain barely attended to? Who would approve of a dirt road issuing dust onto the residents and fynbos whom reside downwind of the proposed route during the strong summer easterly winds?
Cape St Francis is a cul-de-sac and the addition of a CCTV camera system has vastly improved the safety of the village. Criminals prefer multiple escape points when planning nefarious activities. I surmise that the additional road will turn Cape St Francis into a thoroughfare for criminals and make escape easier therefore reducing the safety of residents. Regarding fires and emergencies, the privately-owned airpark has been kind enough to offer us access as the village required. The road infrastructure already exists, the environmental impact has already been accounted for and the few permanent airpark residents I am sure will suffer minor inconvenience as disasters are relatively few and far between. The fire of 2016 has proven that access was not the primary concern and the risk of fire would be greatly reduced not by bulldozing tracts of our precious fynbos to produce a road but rather through proper vegetation management via alien removal and controlled burning. There will be no risk of being “cut off” if vegetation is properly maintained. Surely protesters will realize that blocking the sand river bridge will cause maximum disruption, although I believe this risk is exaggerated. Speaking as a resident in the furthest northern corner of Cape St Francis and as a penniless student I will oppose a road vehemently. R18 a litre is a concern to all, but with pre-planned trips to town and maybe the addition of a minibus for the local schools these financial constraints may be mitigated.
The savings for a few residents does not warrant the destruction and disruption that this proposal will cause. The perception that this road will provide better/faster access I believe is false when speed limits, poor road surfaces and stops are considered. Lastly, I believe that this proposal will not gain even the lightest traction among Cape St Francis residents.
Kind regards,
Strandloper
Well said Strandloper.
Let’s try keeping this area special instead of it being absorbed into the fast becoming hubbub of SFB
As a longtime resident of Cape St Francis I would oppose this vehemently.
We love our seclusion and isolation…it is a huge part of the attraction of living here.
The residents of St Francis Bay choose to live there for the attractions they feel for a larger, more built up area…to travel a little further for access to our peace and quiet is the price they pay for that choice.
The impact of a road through our pristine reserves would be huge.
As pointed out above, access to the village by emergency vehicles or by residents in an emergency is possible and permitted through Airpark.
We held a referendum to assess the opinion of Cape St Francis residents to this and the results showed a resounding no…I stick by that!
What is behind this proposal? To give St Francis Bay (which is overflowing) direct access to the beaches of Cape St Francis?
The uniqueness, privacy and clean beaches of Cape St Francis will be gone.
This will have a huge negative influence on property values in Cape St Francis.
The Keep it clean, Keep it green and Keep it SMALL will be gone forever.
The link road mentioned will be through a RESERVE with pristine flora and flora.
The economy of a few kilometres per day extra makes no sense, either people make use of school buses and/or form lift clubs.
There is an “escape route via the Air Park” which could be used in an emergency – this should be formalised and made known to disaster management.
Cape St Francis did not need an “escape route” for the past 100 years, why now suddenly – refer my heading.
Most holiday resorts have only one access and departure road because they are at the end of a road e.g. Jongensfontein, Stilbaai (could escape to Jongensfontein but there are no hospitals), Puntjie, Oesterbaai, Gouritsmond, Paradise Beach, Haroldsbaai, Vleesbaai – this list can go on and on!
Dankie Pieter jy het die hele situasie goed verwoord.
Understandable Pieter feels like he feels till the paw paw hits the fan then we talk again. When the bridge washed away 100 years ago SFB and CSFB had to trouble. When they burn tires in Humansdorp we have difficulties to go to Humansdorp via the terrible dirt rd. And yes we don’t want to disturb the fauna and flair!!! And from quite roads to heavy trafficTaai toffie…
No thanks.
The region cannot maintain the current road infrastructure let alone a new road through sensitive indigenous fynbos – splendid isolation is the very point of csf – the distance to the main beach is negligible going on the current road – this proposal seems to favour people who don’t live in cape st francis and the arguments for are not well considered
A definate NO, people who don’t live here jump at any opportunity to get a road, drive round like us locals do, Shaun’s house burnt in
minutes, a poor excuse to use, leave our Town alone!!!
Its simple! The people of CSF have spoken and the answer is NO. Do not start the debate again, ever.