Anonymous writes:
I read you article Know your bylaws on page 2, Randburg Sun 10 April 2015.
I would like to give my opinions and views on your last paragraph of the article, as a motorist and person:
“I regularly pull down posters in my ward – not only because they are unsightly and make street corners look messy and uncared for,
BUT THEY CAN BECOME TRAFFIC HAZARDS BLOCKING THE VISIBILITY FOR MOTORISTS,” she said.
I would like to comment on the dust bin adverts on almost all the corners of Paul Kruger Road that becomes Nic Diederichs Boulevard, and Beyers Naudé Drive. Most of the adverts are from estate agents, and other companies.
These humongous adverts are at street corners, and you are so right in saying, “but they become traffic hazards blocking the visibility for motorists.”
But I suggest that you yourself test on what I am about the write:
Take a drive down Paul Kruger Road that becomes Nic Diedrichs after the robot intersection, and see how many of these dustbin adverts are mostly on all the intersections / stop signs / yield signs and robots, RIGHT ON THE CORNERS.
It does not make sense to me that the photo that you have on the newspaper with plates on a wall is bothering the City of Johannesburg Planning Department, as these adverts will not kill, maim, or cause accidents to motorists. Yet, the very adverts that can, as they block the visibility to the motorists, are not a problem to the Johannesburg Planning Department?
When it is an intersection with a STOP sign, it’s almost impossible to turn safely into the road.
Yet, if the intersection does have robots, it makes it far safer and easier for motorists to drive and turn into other roads without causing death, injuries and accidents if they do obey the robot/traffic rules and regulations.
I do not know how many metres are legal for the adverts placed on the 3 to 4 way intersections to be placed away from the corners? That would be interesting to know, as to my knowledge, I would think that most of them are way to near the corners. I would say that they are about 1.5 metres, if not less away, which to me, causes lack of visibility to the motorists – thus causing uncalled for damage, accidents, and death of motorists.
Must these advertisers really place their adverts right on the corners of the intersection – why do they not place the adverts further up on the pavements?
Regarding the intersections that have these hazardous adverts on the corners – they are forcing drivers to move forward over the white lines to see when they can turn quickly onto the roads, while not causing accidents and frustrations and road rage for the motorists who want to turn into that intersection, because the front car is over the white lines, waiting to turn as their visibility is so poor, if any at all, because of these ADVERTS ON THE CORNERS OF THE ROADS.
Editor’s note: Letter shortened.
