Precautions demanded on Impala Road
“Some motorists turn Impala Road into a freeway.”
OVER the years there have been several accidents on Impala Road in the South and also at the intersections of Swartkoppies Road and Kliprivier Drive.
The majority of the accidents have been fatal while some were just fender benders due to speeding, out of order robots, some driving under the influence and plain negligence for the rules of the road.
Recently we received another complaint about Impala Road from a concerned resident who is requesting that stop streets be established at some of the points along the road where joining suburb roads intersect.
“The volume of traffic that is now using Impala Road is getting out of hand. As a resident of Mayfield Park, I struggle every morning, along with my neighbours, to turn onto Impala Road due to the volume of traffic, most of which are not going the designated speed limit. Some motorists like to turn the road into a two-lane freeway, driving contraflow to pass the few who are actually sticking to the speed limit. I believe that the solution to this problem would be to put in stop streets at the three points along the road where the joining suburb roads intersect to allow equal opportunity for those turning onto the road to do so as well as slowing down the lunatics who race up the road. I believe this may also be an annoyance to some of the motorists who think Impala Road is their personal freeway and lead them to rather using the main road and not cut through the suburb road,” read the resident’s complaint.
This sparks many concerns as it’s not the first or only complaint we have received. We should also agree with the resident as the numbers of accidents that occur along Impala Road are astonishing. The CHRONICLE decided to take this complaint a step further by showing residents how far back these incidents go.
In February 2017, a complaint was received from a resident, Sue Atkinson, who wanted to know why City Parks was not doing anything about all the wattle trees that are growing on the sides of Impala Road, on the left-hand side going up towards Rand Water and also along Kliprivier Drive.
“The trees are getting bigger and need to be removed while they are still relatively small and will be easier to take out. Already driving up Impala Road some of the road has been lost due to overgrown trees and it’s a hazard,” said Atkinson.
She requested that something be done about this before there is an accident.
Here is a timeline of some of the incidents that occurred on Impala Road over the years.
First incident:
On February 21, 2014, a traffic light lay inactive for days after it was ploughed down by a heavy load truck that overturned on Kliprivier Drive and Impala Road.
Second incident:
On March 22, 2014, Luke O’Reily (22) from Suideroord lost his life on Impala Road after he crashed into a land post which was erected during the FIFA World Cup. He lost control of his Audi A3 and rolled about 500 metres. The car was written off.
“Our sympathy and condolences go out to the family of Luke and our thoughts are with them in this time of need. That road is very dark. When people travel there they should use the road with caution. The council needs to put up some sort of road measures,” said Sector 2 Mondeor CPF coordinator, Michelle Pelser.
Third incident:
On March 28, 2014, a woman lost control of her white Polo hatchback, sustaining minor injuries.
Fourth incident:
On March 30, 2014, a teenage girl lost control of her vehicle and crashed into a tree on Impala Road. Taylor Whittaker escaped with minor injuries.
Fifth incident:
On April 3, 2014, the CHRONICLE reported on another accident where a woman lost control of her vehicle on Impala Road which prompted people to call Impala Road the road of death. The woman sustained minor injuries.
“Even days after the accident skid marks can be seen trailing into the foliage on the side of the road, offering evidence of the near fatal crash. The officer’s statement was motivated by the frequency of vehicle accidents that occur on the road in a short period of time. Residents have also echoed this statement saying Impala Road is not a safe road due to lawlessness by motorists who speed on this road with its dangerous curves and due to the darkness of the road at night. Residents and traffic officials have complained about drivers exceeding the road’s speed limit of 60km per hour, with many vehicles often seen speeding down Impala Road, some even risking head-on collisions by overtaking on the narrow winding corridor, where it is difficult to see oncoming traffic,” read the report by the CHRONICLE.
Sixth incident:
On May 30, 2015, there was a hit and run which occurred on Impala Road. A motorcyclist was travelling up Impala Road towards Kliprivier Drive when a BMW driver overtook her and had to swerve quickly back in, clipping the back of the motorcycle, as there was an oncoming vehicle. The woman skidded about 50 metres before coming to a halt on the opposite side of the pavement. The BMW driver fled the scene of the accident. Eyewitnesses said motorists drive way over 60km per hour on this road.
“Speed calming measures need to be implemented on this road. The speed limit is 60km per hour and no one does this. If you do try and keep to the speed limit drivers flash their lights at you and then overtake on bends. There have been many fatalities on this road,” said a man at the scene of the accident.
Seventh incident:
On October 15, 2015, it was again reported that more speed traps need to be set up. A woman lost control of her Mini Cooper on Impala Road and collided with a van coming towards her from the opposite direction.
“This road has seen far too many accidents of this nature. I’m not saying all motorists speed along Impala, but many do. When I drive at 60km, which is the correct speed limit, I’m often beeped at or motorists flash their lights at me. More speed traps should be set up,” said a woman at the accident scene, reiterating the same statements by the previous eyewitness mentioned above.
Note that this is a summary of incidents and accidents that have occurred over the years on Impala Road. Motorists can only be encouraged to stick to the rules and speed limit of the road. We shouldn’t only take a stand against negligent driving when something happens to us, a family member or a friend but as road users, we must all be courteous, diligent and responsible drivers.
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