EDITOR – The conversion of Hunt Road from a two-way to a one-way road extension of Musgrave Road does not solve the problem.
The current directions of Musgrave Road as well as Essenwood, now known as Steven Dlamini Road was a brainless decision (and for this I do not apologise).
Many people will speak of the gut feel and this is a classic.
Firstly, having a traffic light intersection in and out of Musgrave Centre is where the brainless decision starts and finishes. How the City authorities ever made the decision of Musgrave Road as a one-way heading towards Berea Road, now known as King Dinuzulu Road and Steven Dlamini Road away from King Dinuzulu Road, I don’t know?
Musgrave Centre’s parking was designed when both roads were two-way. It is logical that Musgrave Road should be away from King Dinuzulu Road (Berea Road) and Steven Dlamini Road to King Dinuzulu Road.
This would immediately eliminate the traffic lights including the traffic congestion within Musgrave Centre’s parking as coming down Steven Dlamini Road you turn left into Musgrave Centre and when you leave the centre you drive out to the left. The access on the Musgrave Road side would be exactly the same. This would free up the traffic jams and delays within Musgrave Centre, caused by the traffic light.
Secondly, the two bus stops would now be on the left hand side, eliminating people having to cross the roads improving safety, and which for our elderly retired folk would be more important and less stressful.
Thirdly, the current problem from Musgrave Road going into Hunt Road is equally brainless, simply because you have a bottleneck (narrowing) and I have my doubts that making this also one-way is not improving the situation but making it worse.
Fourthly, the crossings on the bridge should also be two-way for both the roads as there are sufficient lanes (five) to make this possible.
Finally, by coming down Steven Dlamini Road towards King Dinuzulu Road means that you can continue along Manning, now known as Lena Ahrens, avoiding the bottlenecks for Glenwood Shopping Centre and there are sufficient left turns leading down to both Glenwood Village and Davenport Centre.
I have carried out on a quiet Sunday, “drive arounds” trying to look at why this shouldn’t be, so the positives to change the directions, far outweigh the negatives. I also did more of a semi-detailed write-up together with a map.
I firmly believe that the ratepayers, drivers and shoppers as well as management of Musgrave, Glenwood Village and Davenport Centres would agree.
I am an engineer who looks at things logically and hence my reaction about the one-way system being illogical.
Bryan E Bailey
Morningside
