P91 – a disaster waiting to happen

A number of concerns have been raised over the state of Modderfontein Road or the P91.

The road connects Edenvale with the suburbs of Johannesburg as well as Kempton Park.

Edenvale resident, Mr Kesigan Padayachee, has called on local government to repaint the lanes on Modderfontein Road.

“At night and sometimes during the day the lanes are not visible,” he said.

He also said there is a need for streetlights along the road.

“There have been several accidents on this road and many of them fatal. Recently, a taxi went off the road and crashed into the golf course,” said Mr Padayachee.

“In December, a 19-year-old was killed on Modderfontein Road,” he said.

Another resident, Ms Jennifer Kemp, said the Greenstone intersection on Modderfontein Road was a disaster waiting to happen.

“For some reason the robots have been re-set and now cars turning into Modderfontein Road from Van Riebeeck Avenue are competing with a new stream of cars which turn right into Modderfontein Road,” she said.

Modderfontein Road presents a major challenge to both the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality (EMM) and the City of Johannesburg (CoJ).

According to the ward 32 councillor, Clr Darren Bergman, the problem lies in the demarcation of the road.

“Parts of the road fall under the jurisdiction of the CoJ, while another section of the road is covered by the EMM,” said Clr Bergman.

“We sit with three key challenges here; maintenance, enforcement and communication,” he added.

He said speeding, driving under the influence of alcohol and distractions such as cellular phones are the leading cause of accidents on roads such as Modderfontein Road.

“Members of both the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) and the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD) have been visible on Modderfontein Road but drivers take chances when they are not there,” said Clr Bergman.

“Accidents and road rage incidents are avoidable if road signage and signals were clear and in good working order,” he said.

I sit in stakeholder meetings on a monthly basis bringing up issues such as painted lines and for months I have been assured that we are on the radar. A new representative has just been introduced to us and he has given us an undertaking that the matter will receive his urgent attention,” said Clr Bergman.

The NEWS sent an enquiry to both the EMM and the CoJ for comment by Friday, January 24.

The EMM’s communications and marketing department stated that Modderfontein Road does not fall under the jurisdiction of the municipality.

No comment was received from the CoJ.