CYCLISTS have welcomed the City’s intervention in fixing an uneven surface on Ridge Road, uMhlanga which has led to more than 10 accidents in the past 18 months. Seven of those have been reported this year alone.
The problem had stemmed from a section on residential road where tree roots had caused the concrete to rise unevenly on the surface – four serious accidents occurred causing riders to either dislocated arms or break collarbones.
Last month, cyclists took matters into their own hands in the hopes of getting the eThekwini Municipality to act over four raised humps on Ridge Road by spray painting warnings on the road surface.
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Aroon Patel, vice-chairman of Cycle Specialists cycling club said he was pleased the section had been fixed making it safe for cyclists to use again.
“It has taken the City more than six months to attend to the problem but I’m glad it has been fixed. We know of seven this year alone and more than 10 incidents in the last two years. People think this is an innocuous hump but when you are on a bicycle it poses a serious hazard. We are really thankful and appreciate the efforts of the City and we encourage them to respond to other similar issues.
“Because of the problem our club had been riding on Forest Drive for the last six months, where there is more traffic because motorists are hoping to cut the speed humps on Ridge Road. Since we noticed the problem had been fixed we’ve begun using Ridge Road again and because its quieter it offers not only our club but other cyclists some peace of mind when we are completing training rides,” Patel said.
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