AFTER months of residents raising their concern about the speeding on Millennium Boulevard, the City has now taken action to discuss the possibility of speed calming measures. Since 13 February, Millennium Boulevard, between Zenith Drive and Centenary Boulevard, has been closed for traffic monitoring.
A spate of accidents in the weeks preceding the closure two months ago, was the final straw for residents and the City. The project which is headed up by the eThekwini Traffic Authority (ETA) is in response to the excessive speeds by vehicles, especially over the weekends.
uMhlanga ward councillor, Heinz de Boer, said the area was also a high pedestrian centre with a number of call centres nearby and a children’s park adjacent to Equinox Road.
De Boer said the removal of the original speed humps, which were deemed ‘illegal’ by the City due to them not conforming to the municipality’s specifications, had exacerbated the problem.
“Since the speed humps were removed, the speeding in the area has become utterly ridiculous, at all times of the day and night, but especially on the weekends. The worrying fact is that there is a children’s playground right on the corner and two of the last four accidents has seen cars flipping over.
“I’ve spoken to the ETA about the issue, before any changes can be made to the road geometry, a team of engineers had to study the impact of the closure. The section of Millennium Boulevard between Equinox Road and Centenary Boulevard was closed as the first step to look at options to find a solution. This may include traffic calming measures but it’s yet to be seen what decision will be taken,” he said.
