Mysterious speed bump makes an appearance overnight

Motorists who drive regularly on Fern Road were surprised at a speed bump that had appeared overnight near the BP Garage.

Resident Savvas Demetriou says one day there was nothing and the next, a bump appeared in the road.

“The bump does not run horizontal to the road as it runs down a strange angle, the other issue is that the bump is a bit high and you are unable to see it as it is still unmarked.”

He further explained that the bump caught him off-guard the first time and damaged his car as he drove over it too quickly.

“Especially at night, you can’t see the bump as it is pitch black and the road surface around it was recently re-tarred so it’s totally invisible to unsuspecting motorists.”

Ward 126 councillor Mike Tonkin said the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) constructed the bump in an effort to force water to run down into the storm water drain as the houses down the road are negatively affected during the rainy season.

He said, “The issue with this, however, is that this bump is seen as a speed bump and according to the JRA’s regulations, a speed bump is supposed to be marked and to meet certain height and gradient specifications, and I think the entity has not followed their own regulations.”

Tonkin added that he called the entity twice about the speed bump but has not yet received any reply from them.

JRA spokesperson Bertha Peters-Scheepers confirmed that she received the query and said she is currently following up on the issue and will send a comment as soon as she hears from the teams who were assigned to work on this road.

Details: Ward 126 councillor Mike Tonkin 082 564 0160.