WATCH: Speedsters endanger children
SOPHIATOWN – Reckless drivers ignore speed bumps and endanger pupils of Laerskool Generaal Christiaan De Wet as they cross the road to get to school.
Residents from Sophiatown who live in Victoria Street are complaining about the reckless drivers who are endangering children’s lives.
Frikkie Wallis said that the problem of drivers speeding down the road has been ongoing for many years. Wallis said that Laerskool Generaal Christiaan De Wet pupils use Victoria Street to cross over to school every day.
“Since I started living here 23 years ago it [the road] has always had problems with drivers speeding past without any regard for anyone,” he said.
Wallis pointed out that the safety of the children was being compromised by the speeding drivers who even sped over speed bumps.
“I don’t think that we should wait for a child to die before we do something about this issue,” he added. Technology teacher from the school, Koos van Vuuren said that the school did have its own scholar patrol as a means of trying to stop the speedsters and ensure the safety of their pupils before and after school.
“There was a resident who had built a speed bump close to the curve on of the road but it was removed two months ago as it was at a dangerous point on the road and it also contravened the bylaws and JMPD removed it,” Van Vuuren added.
He also mentioned that during the day they could hear the revving sounds of speeding vehicles from outside but said that there was not much that they could do.
Ward 86 councillor Steve Kotze said that it was wrong for any driver to ignore the rules and signs of the road. “What do we do with such drivers? We can’t make the speed bumps too high because if it damages someone’s car they institute claims against the City but if they are too low drivers just ignore them,” he said.
Kotze said that the only way to control speeding drivers was to have JMPD watch the road every day which was impossible as JMPD officers were always busy. “What I would like to do is organise a blitz where one morning the JMPD patrol and issue tickets to road offenders.
Questions were sent to JMPD spokesperson Chief Superintendant Wayne Minnaar, and comment is awaited.
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