Outcry over Fields Hill accidents
Following numerous complaints about safety measures on Fields Hill, the DA said they have ramped up the pressure on KZN's Department of Transport to take action.
FOR years, Fields Hill has been a source of concern and has made headlines with the number of accidents and fatalities occurring in the area, and one resident expressed his frustrations about the ‘no care’ attitude from the authorities.
Last month, a woman in her 60s died after the car she was driving rolled down an embankment in Fields Hill.
ALS Paramedics spokesperson Garrith Jamieson reported that paramedics arrived on the scene to find that the driver of the vehicle had somehow lost control and the car left the roadway – rolling down an embankment and coming to rest on its roof.
Paramedics and firefighters made their way down to the vehicle to assess the scene. She had, unfortunately, sustained major injuries, and there was nothing paramedics could do for her, and she was declared deceased on the scene. eThekwini Firefighters and paramedics recovered the body of a woman and used specialised roping to pull her up the embankment.
Also read: New Germany residents voice grievances
Referring to a fatal crash, which also claimed the life of a woman, where a car crossed the centre median and hit an oncoming car going in the opposite direction, the Gillitts resident, Tony Ball, said this was inevitable, and he believes if there were maintained Armco barriers, it could possibly have been avoided.
He noted that overhead speed cameras seem to work efficiently, but any real input towards road safety, such as safety barriers, seems to have vanished off the radar.
What’s more, said Ball, is that road markings are ‘never painted’. He said road markings were only made visible on specific sections of the busy road in the run-up to the Comrades Marathon.
“Driving through the M13 at night is a nightmare. On Saturday night, I went to a show in Westville and returned to Gillitts through Fields Hill at 23:00.
“The state of the road is shocking: The traces of road markings are faded and in some places completely absent. This makes the road very dangerous for motorists at night,” he said.
Putting pressure on the Department of Transport
Member of parliament and DA KZN spokesperson of Transport, Riona Gokool, said that the DA has ramped up the pressure on KwaZulu-Natal’s (KZN) Department of Transport (DoT) following numerous ongoing complaints over the unsatisfactory state of the M13 Highway.
She said recent feedback from the DoT has seen an acknowledgement that current road conditions are below standard.
“It was revealed that a contract for 20km of M13 guardrail repairs and replacement is at award stage with commencement due in the next few months, and the DoT has put together a three-year contract to address overall maintenance issues, with commencement expected within four months, while an internal team has currently been assigned to clear drainage.”
Also read: Woman dies after car rolls down Fields Hill embankment
Prior to the N3 upgrade, Gokool said SANRAL identified the M13 as an alternative route and signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with KZN’s DoT.
“Some of the maintenance activities are to be implemented under this agreement. There has been an outcry over the lack of concrete barriers.
These barriers serve important purposes, including crash mitigation, traffic control, separation of road users, debris containment, noise reduction and access management. However, while they enhance overall road safety and make a significant difference in safety outcomes, they don’t eliminate accidents.”
She added that the M13 is the scene of accidents on an almost daily basis.
“While the DoT can implement safety measures and maintain and service the road, the onus also rests on motorists who must abide by the rules of the road.
“The DA urges residents to become involved in Community Policing Forums (CPFs) – attended by SAPS and metro police representatives – and to keep highlighting the need for more visible policing along major routes such as the M13,” said Gokool.
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