EDITOR – More or less four months ago I turned into Brakenhill Road from Inanda Road and was confronted with a taxi coming up on the right hand side of Brakenhill Road to turn into Watercrest Mall.
This is because there is no entry to the mall from Brakenhill Road. Subsequently, almost all vehicles coming into the mall are going onto the right hand side into oncoming traffic to get into the mall. It is just a matter of time until someone is killed in this chaotic situation.
I went and had a look at what could be done to correct the problem, which I discussed with the taxi bosses who are very keen to have it resolved. It required a very simple and cheap solution of paint and a short section of the centre island. I discussed this with the mall manager who was also keen to have it done. He said that he would speak to the relevant people in order to get authority.
Three to four months have passed by and I had regular talks with the taxi bosses, but still nothing. I spoke to the mall’s manager and he said he’d spoken to traffic people and they said that it was approved and that this is how it will remain. Do we leave it until someone is killed or do we shake the tree?
Peter Smythe
Waterfall
Watercrest Mall responds:
Watercrest Mall does take all complaints seriously, unfortunately we have not had a positive response to date from Metro or the Engineering Department (who govern the municipal roads including all mall access points). The reason why there is no right turn into the Centre, coming up Brakenhill Road is due to the distance between the intersection and entrance to the Mall. This was deemed a high risk due to the blind rise as you approach the intersection. The traffic engineer that performed the initial traffic assessment study confirmed the same.
Furthermore, Watercrest Mall, at our discretion, installed booms to stop vehicles from entering the exit ramp from Brakenhill Road. Unfortunately there are members of the public who do not adhere to the rules of the road or directional signage. We have requested Metro to assist in fining motorists as a short term solution, but they are not always able to assist.
This issue needs to be resolved by council, whom we continuously consult with, as they did the traffic impact study and was built as per their approval. We therefore are not permitted to make any modifications without their approval.
We are trusting to find an amicable solution in the near future.
