Beware of this recent change on South Road
Raised pedestrian crossing erected as speed-calming measure
During the past few days many motorists travelling on South Road may have noticed that something has changed as they passed Hoërskool Die Adelaar.For some, it was a gentle bump in their journey, while others became airborne for a few seconds, resulting in a hard landing.
“Despite the traffic light and pedestrian crossing directly in front of Die Adelaar being there for years, motorists did not seem to adhere to these speed-calming measures.
Many do not keep to the speed limit of 60km/h, and use this road as a speedway due to the long, uninterrupted road surface, often resulting in fatal accidents. After another child had been knocked down on this road, the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) installed a raised pedestrian crossing over the weekend,” said René Benjamin, the councillor for Ward 71.
She added that, when she heard the work had been completed, she went to the site to guide motorists across the ‘obstacle’ in the road. “Because all the road signs to warn vehicle drivers had not been put up and road markings had not been painted yet, I wanted to make drivers aware of this change. But, despite a number of residents and I showing motorists to slow down, some just continued to speed down the road.
A number of them could not adjust their speed before hitting the raised pedestrian crossing, resulting in their flying over the bump and landing hard on the other side. For those who drove cautiously and heeded the signals to slow down, there was a safe (and milder) crossing,” she said.
According to René, the decision to install a raised pedestrian crossing was made because the traffic light in combination with the normal pedestrian crossing proved not to be a deterrent, as a number of motorists did not stop when the light turned red.
She concluded by saying, “I plead with motorists to stop using the roads in our community as if they were on a racing track. Many accidents as well as unnecessary loss of lives can be avoided by obeying the rules of the road and driving decently.”
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