The General Pienaar Avenue and Ham Street intersection in Witpoortjie has been the scene of many accidents. This led to the Record approaching Ward 71 councillor, Rene Benjamin and sending through some questions for Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA).
Also read: Poor visibility blamed for collision in Witpootjie
According to René, this is the very intersection she engaged on over a year ago, and changes were made by JRA. “If you look at the picture before changes were made on the intersection you will note it is not the same. It has to be said that no preventative measure is going to stop bad driver behaviour. The road is not the issue but the motorists are. I have been in near misses at that intersection, so I have first-hand experience of the bad driving habits,” said René.
JRA experts did provide some answers to the questions posed by the Record after a Toyota Yaris collided with a Nissan Hardbody bakkie at the same intersection on Wednesday, 3 February, leaving one person with minor injuries.
• What speed-calming measures can be taken to rectify the high-accident issue at the intersection in Witpoortjie?
The JRA undertook an assessment of the road after safety concerns were raised by the community through the ward councillor last year. General Pienaar Avenue is a major arterial road (a high-capacity road that carries longer-distance flows), and traffic-calming measures by means of speed humps are not allowed on such roads as per the specifications of the South African Road Traffic Signs Manual. There’s a plan in place to have edge lines installed along General Pienaar to narrow the lanes.
• Any interim plans on how the intersection can be made safer in the meantime?
General Pienaar Avenue is a dual carriageway that crosses Ham Street. At the time of the assessment, this specific intersection did not warrant a multi-way stop, so additional stop signs and markings were placed at the opening of the median island. Some of the other intersections along General Pienaar Avenue are also controlled by multi-way stops.
• What processes need to be followed?
The process starts with a request for traffic-calming measures submitted by the community/ and or ward councillor via a petition form addressed to the Office of the Speaker. The petition is then registered with a reference number and allocated to the JRA. Our Traffic Engineers will then conduct an assessment of the road or intersection to determine if calming measures are required, and which ones are suitable for the reported section in adherence to the specifications of the South African Traffic Manual.
• How can the community get involved?
Pertaining to this specific matter, a Traffic Engineer from the JRA conducted an onsite investigation with members of the policing forum of Witpoortjie to discuss the safety issues around the area.
• How can the community contact JRA with regard to similar problems?
Aside from the petitions process mentioned above, the community can report road-related defects to the JRA via the City’s Customer Centre (0860 562 874), or the JRA’s Hotline email (hotline@jra.org.za) and our social media platforms: Twitter: @MyJRA and Facebook: Johannesburg Roads Agency. A reference number will be issued for the fault logged, which the resident/complainant can use to follow up on the progress/ status of the query.
•The parking on General Pienaar Avenue could also be an issue as it hampers the view of motorists coming from Ham Street crossing or turning into General Pienaar Avenue. What can be the solution?
The vehicles that were parked in the lay-by did not cause any obstruction and thus the parking area remains the way it is. The additional parking as mentioned is also used by shoppers at the said location.
• What is the estimated processes timeline for a solution?
The turnaround time for the installation of edge lines mentioned earlier is yet to be confirmed. Arrangements are currently being made with our Depot.
