Throughout the year, we have asked many councillors questions that community members need answers to.
Whether it was about billing or potholes, we got our councillors talking. As the year comes to an end, we will take a look at the most asked questions that our councillors have answered.
Most commonly asked question:
How can we get speed humps and other traffic calming measures in place in our suburb?
Nicole van Dyk, Ward 99 councillor, answered:
Speeding is worryingly on the rise in many suburbs. In more and more instances, residents across the City of Johannesburg are seeking traffic calming measures. The process for application is not too difficult and one only needs the following:
1. A letter of support from the ward councillor
2. Scaled A2 engineering design drawing depicting the position of the proposed traffic calming humps
3. Metro police letter of support
4. Letter of support from the regional director’s office, in this case, the regional director of Region B.
All the above documents must then be submitted to Traffic Engineering and Analysis. Once the traffic assessment has been done and if the report warrants the speed humps, a funding request will be made. There have been cases of residents offering to fund the humps to assist the City’s funding, which mostly goes toward operational funding. One speed hump costs the city in the vicinity of R15 000.
Driver behaviour is, however, the issue to address. We can put speed humps and stop streets at every intersection, but if drivers do not want to comply, they will not. The City, as a whole, really needs to embark on a process of harsher punishments for speeding and reckless driving.
As stated previously, Metro police presently only have enough resources to fight a total of 40 per cent of all infringements within their capacity. The addition of 1 500 new officers will ease this.
I would also advise putting up a sign that says the area has a high pedestrian level and more caution should be exercised.
Do you have a question for a ward councillor?
Email your burning question to aimeed@caxton.co.za and let’s get the ball rolling.
