DURBAN North ward councillor, Shaun Ryley has welcomed the closure of a gap in the newly erected pedestrian fence next to the walkway at the Ellis Brown Viaduct tower on the M4. Last month, a cyclist was attacked in the vicinity by two men who dragged her down the stairs of the tower. The outrage from the community and from the local councillor prompted the City’s roads department to erect a fence.
Since 2015, there have been a number of armed muggings on the walkway (going towards Riverside Road) targeting runners, cyclists and pedestrians. The wire-mesh fence, topped with barbed wire, is situated behind the wooden bollards and runs from the tower all the way to the entrance road of the Beachwood Mangroves Nature Reserve.
Northglen News met with Ryley twice last week, initially because the contractors had left a gap in the fence where most of the attacks occurred. However after contacting the City, the fence was completed just two days later.
Read also: Women’s cycling group reaches out to M4 attack victim
“It’s a positive sign. I feel the roads department must be lauded for quick action. Initially they thought it was sufficient enough to bring the fence up to where it was prior, however when I brought it to their attention, it took less than two days for them to fix it,” he said.
