Taxis terrorise pointsmen

The current upgrades on William Nicol Drive at the Uranium Road intersection have become a battleground.

During the upgrades the road has turned into a single lane for drivers, putting the squeeze on traffic, but irate motorists complain about another force which is adding to the congestion woes.

This force being taxis, which use the unpaved sidewalk on William Nicol Drive at peak traffic. On 11 July it took a turn for the worst when the traffic signal at the spot was out. Traffic Freeflow pointsmen on duty were allegedly intimidated by taxi drivers when they wouldn’t allow the drivers to skip the traffic queue.

The threats meant pointsmen abandoned their posts.

According to ward councillor and Lonehill resident David Potter, there was cause for concern due to taxis making a violent turn to get their way.

Rudi Kurau, a Fourways resident who works at Indaba Hotel and Conference Centre and Spa has no option but to use this section of road every day. The traffic nightmare and unruly taxis have led him to draft a letter to Metro Police begging for help.

“I live 2km from work and it takes me almost an hour to get to there, due to the taxis coming down the side of the road and pushing to the front of the queue. This brings traffic to a standstill until the last taxi has pushed in, and if you cut them off they get violent.”

Kurau believes that visible law enforcement would be the only solution to kick this habit to the curb.

“It is already chaos here because of the road works, and this is only a little section of the road that is becoming a major problem for many residents and commuters alike.”

On 12 July, Metro Police and Traffic Freeflow were left little choice but to work side-by-side on the busy road.

According to Charlene Govender from Traffic Freeflow, it was necessary for them to team-up on the day. No further incidences of intimidation were reported, but residents maintained that traffic was still severly affected.

The William Nicol Drive upgrades are expected to be completed in April 2014, but will offer dedicated lanes stretching from Mulbarton Street to the Erling Street interchange.