Councillor calls officials out after driver dies at intersection
Ward 93 councillor is pleading with JRA to repair damaged traffic lights at the Vanderbijl and Maxwell Avenue intersections in Sunninghill.
A delivery bike driver lost his life after being knocked down by a car at the intersection of Vanderbijl and Maxwell Avenue in Sunninghill. This, according to Ward 93 councillor Vino Reddy, could have been avoided if the Johannesburg Road Agency and Gauteng Province had replied to his plea to have their traffic lights back on.
“It was on Thursday when it happened and the residents agree that if the traffic lights were working, none of this could have happened. I have reported these traffic lights to the Gauteng Province numerous times. Recently, I reached out to JRA to intervene with Gauteng Province to get these traffic lights repaired.”
Reddy said the road agency and Gauteng Province responded by saying that Eskom has to re-cable because the traffic lights are not working due to cable theft.
“I received that response just a week before the tragic accident. We had no idea that Eskom was also affected in this case,” he shared while adding that the traffic lights have been off for four months now.
“This makes it difficult for residents to obey the rules of the road because they do not treat it as a three-way stop as a result. So, that is dangerous. Luckily, this accident was the only major issue that unfortunately cost someone’s life, which we have dealt with since. But most of the complaints that we receive from residents are about reckless driving.”
Reddy added that he is pleading with the officials to attend to the traffic lights as a matter of urgency, “because we have by-laws which clearly state that when we are faced with such difficulties we should report them. It is important for service delivery.”
“I now implore all the parties concerned to act with haste and repair these traffic lights to prevent more lives from being lost. I also appeal to the people who use these intersections where traffic lights are not working to approach Fourways stops with extra caution so that these incidences can be prevented and lives being saved.”
The road agency’s media spokesperson, Bertha Peter-Scheepers could not divulge in detail. She told us the road belongs to Gauteng Province and is maintained by them when contacted for comment.
Trials to reach Gauteng Province through calls and emails for comment were fruitless at the time we went for print. We will revert with an update once it becomes available.
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