COLLISIONS and fatalities have become synonymous with Sydenham’s ‘death’ hill that has residents living along the road pleading for traffic measures to be put a stop to the carnage.
Morningside grandmother, Annette van der Werff says she lives in constant fear that someone will die if they crash into her garden. She has made every effort to get the municipality to put traffic safety measures in place on John Zikhali Road, also known as Sydenham’s “death” hill but it has all been in vain.
Last Wednesday, a driver lost control his vehicle at Currie Road, and crashed into Van der Werff’s property wall and landed in her garden, a stone’s throw away from the pool. “Had pedestrians been walking along the road we would have had serious injuries or a fatalities. This is the fourth time my wall, which was formerly a garage, has been crashed into!” Annette said the family had taken a decision to move the garage after it was crashed into on three occasions, two of which destroyed cars that were parked inside.
“We were getting ready for Sunday dinner and the whole family was sitting outside in our patio area when we heard the crash. Our garage exploded when a car somersaulted into it in front of us,” she said.
She also recalled other accidents which took place over the past few weeks. “There have been three major accidents on Sydenham Road in ten days. On Mothers’day, two young men were killed when a vehicle hit them and then collided with three other cars travelling up the road,” she said still upset over the incident.
“It is all too much! The impact we have to take on our psychesliving on this road is terrible. We just think about the poor families of the two young men who were walking on the road and were killed,” added a traumatised Annette.
“I have written to Metro Police and the municipality and suggested a speed hump be put on either side of Currie Road at the intersection. I received a long reply with excuses why they could not fit them. Even if they can’t put speed humps, surely some other safety measures can be taken to save lives! Someone needs to put a stop to this road carnage!”
Neighbour, Marcus Jawahir agreed. “When you hear the sound of a car coming down at breakneck speed you hold your breath knowing that a crash is soon to follow. I have advised my wife not to use our main entrance on John Zikhali (Sydenham) Road but rather to use the longer back roads because it is just not safe,” he said.
Jawahir said the problem came when unknowing motorists or speedsters coming down John Zikhali Road hit the flat section of the road at the Currie Road intersection and become airborne and lose control of their vehicles putting innocent motorists and pedestrians at risk.
Rescue Care’s Garrith Jamieson said the John Zikhali (Sydenham) and Cowey and John Zikhali (Sydenham) and Currie Road intersections are notorious for collisions. “On average we attend to one every week,” he said, recalling the Mothers’day fatalities.
“One could only suggest some sort of action is taken before more lives are lost. There are a large number of T-bone collisions on Currie Road as cars have to cross over four lanes of traffic, that is very dangerous as people coming down Sydenham Hill have just come over a small rise and find people crossing Currie Road. I would urge the municipality to try and put a plan in place to curb these collisions,” said Jamieson.
Ward 31 councillor, Jethro Leferve acknowledged the “large problem” around the ward. “I would like a task team to be set up to find a solution to the problem.” Leferve added that if there was a need for policy change with regard to the traffic safety measures on the road, he would formulate a formal notice of motion to council.
