Content tagged:
East London

This inverted profile pass is situated near the east coast city of East London, and derives its name from the crossing of the Buffalo River, which empties into the harbour a few kilometres downstream. It forms a convenient shortcut from the western suburbs to the airport, as well as to the R72 coastal road which connects the city to Port Alfred and Port Elizabeth. East Londoners of the more mature variety will have fond memories of the infamous nightclub that used to be located next to the river at the bottom of the pass.

The lovely old tarred pass sweeps down into the densely wooded Buffalo River valley and crosses East London's major river via a bridge built in 1955. The road is tarred (although bumpy, potholed and patched these days) and presents a comfortable gradient of just 1:33, with some of the steeper sections at 1:11.

Piles of litter along the road-side spoil the drive and perhaps one of the city's councillors might read this page and do something about cleaning the pass up. It's one of East London's many attractions which has been allowed to degenerate. This pass is dangerous for cyclists and walkers as there are no safety shoulders plus this is a high crime area.

The pass passes through the Umtiza Nature Reserve.

The Great Kei River Pass has an unenviable record of serious accidents. The section of road both east and west leading down to the Great Kei River is also known as the Kei River Cuttings. The pass is located between the towns of Butterworth and Komga on the tarred N2 highway.

There are 31 bends corners and curves compressed into its 11,8 km length and the 422m altitude drop when travelling from south to north is what causes the momentum gaining problems for heavy vehicles, where brake failure has been the common denominator in most of the serious incidents on this pass.

There are two arrestor beds constructed on the southern descent. The first is at the 2,2 km mark and the second makes an appearance at the 5,2 km point.

Potters Pass is a short suburban pass located in the West Bank area of East London (Buffalo City). It offers beautiful views over the Indian Ocean and the adjacent East Coast shoreline as you descend the pass from north to south. It is also unique in that the pass itself once formed part of the course over which the South African Grand Prix was held in the smoke-and-thunder glory days of motor racing in the 1930s, an era far removed from the clinical procession of Formula 1 racing today.