Residents call for safer Hans Dettman/M7 interchange
With complaints about the interchange dating back to 2019, the local ward councillor has promised to drive the charge for change.
CONCERNED residents and the Ward 18 councillor have called for urgent intervention from the KZN Department of Transport (DoT) following an increase in accidents at the Hans Dettman Highway on-ramps and off-ramps to the M7.
Local resident, Roger Fraser described the area in 2019, when he first highlighted the problem to the DoT, as ‘possibly the most dangerous intersection in Durban’ due to the constant traffic that included heavy vehicles and cars. His view has not changed since his initial complaint.
“We have a clear view of the off-ramp from our property and there is at least two accidents every week on the off-ramps often with serious injuries,” said Fraser.
He noted there were no armco barriers or chevron signs along the hairpin bend at the exit from the M7 onto the Hans Dettman Highway. This is one of the many reasons cars and trucks have veered off the roadway. In the most recent accident, on Sunday, 7 March, a vehicle veered from the road and the driver was injured.
“Often, when we go out, we will see a truck or a car has driven off of the road and into a ditch due to the lack of signage and road barriers on the road,” he said.
Another problem area highlighted by Fraser was the lack of signage across the entirety of the interchange.
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“Road signs need to be put in place and replaced. There are no stop signs or yield signs on Hans Dettman. There are also no ‘no entry’ signs at the on-ramps, which, at night time, could be mistaken by motorists as off-ramps,” said the concerned resident.
The ward councillor, Melanie Brauteseth, said the provincial roads intersecting Pinetown were in a ‘shocking’ state and noted that vehicles were also damaged due to major potholes on a regular basis.
“The uneven and deteriorating road surfaces are due to the lack of maintenance that, in turn, displays the lack of leadership and intervention from the provincial Department of Transport. Year-on-year, this department continuously returns funds to Treasury due to under expenditure while they could have used these resources for key projects, such as the urgent maintenance required on the M19, M7 and M13 and feeder roads like the terrible Stapleton Road,” said Brauteseth.
As the elected representative for Ward 18, she promised to continue to drive the issue until remedial action was taken.
The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport did not respond to questions by the time of going to print.
Caxton Local Media Covid-19 reporting
