Radiokop residents are fed up with speeding motorists
"Where the impact from the crash was, was exactly where my kids were playing."
Speeding has been a recurring issue on Elsie Road, close to Charterhouse School, since resident Brian Gold moved to the area 21 years ago.
In 2017, the Northsider reported on speeding motorists causing accidents on the corner of Elsie Road and Bassoon Avenue that could possibly have been avoided by installing speed calming measures along Elsie Road.
Also read: Residents along busy Wilgeheuwel roads asking for solutions to speeding and congestion
The same issue persists almost six years later. Just recently, on a rainy Thursday, January 5, an alleged drunk driver lost control of his single-cab bakkie while bypassing a delivery vehicle and taking the turn towards Bassoon Avenue then subsequently crashed into Baltimore Village’s boundary wall. While this accident in itself was a horrific scene to witness, residents of Baltimore Village are fed up with motorists testing the speed limit, and putting lives in danger.
Also read: High-speed chase ends in crash
The crash site is Baltimore Village resident, Mkhuseli Setuse’s backyard and, while fortunately no one got hurt, the accident could have taken a very dark turn.
“My wife was busy tending to the garden while my children were playing outside in the backyard, it started to drizzle around 17:00 and they went inside to get out of the rain,” Mkhuseli explained, “it was not even 40 minutes later when the crash happened. If my wife and children hadn’t gone inside they would surely have been hit by the bakkie.”
He goes on to say that the bakkie went through the boundary wall and into his backyard.
“The bakkie was so deep into our yard that there was less than 1m left of it outside. Where the impact from the crash was, was exactly where my kids were playing,” Mkhuseli exclaimed.
The Northsider spoke to Xolani Fihla, Spokesperson for the Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD), about possible speed calming measures.
“Regarding speed calming measures and converting the road into a three-way stop, Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) needs to be contacted, for engineers to assess the road and see if a course of action can be taken to remedy the community concerns,” Xolani explained.
Comment from JRA came from Bertha Peters-Scheepers, their spokesperson, saying that, “According to our traffic engineers, traffic calming can only be considered once we receive a formal petition that must be logged by the applicant at the office of the speaker. There are also various technical/ geometric requirements that must be met.”
The JRA website states that speed humps must be warranted in accordance with the South African Road Traffic Signs Manual (SARTSM) and the City of Johannesburg Traffic Calming Policy: Requirement, Traffic Assessment/Study.
The following documents must be emailed to the JRA Traffic Engineering Department at eschmidt@jra.org.za for evaluation and approval:
1. Ward Councillor’s letter of support
2. Illustration of the proposed traffic calming measures’ location and position
3. Letter of support from the Regional Directors Office of the City of Johannesburg
4. A letter of support from the Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD), which enforces speed limits.
JRA’s engineers will generally only use traffic calming measures (speed humps, raised pedestrian crossings, and mini-circles) if none of the following are applicable:
Not in front of entrances, not in the shade of trees and other physical objects during the day, not where they are not illuminated by street lighting at night, not on gradients greater than 6%, not on gravel roads (which cannot be painted and usually have no street lighting), not on Class 4 or higher Class roads, not on designated public transportation routes, and not within a specified distance of other control mechanisms such as traffic signals.
A structured analysis procedure allows the municipality to determine, as objectively as possible, whether it is appropriate to install traffic calming measures on a given street or in a given neighbourhood, and what types of measures should be used to achieve the desired speed reduction and increased safety objectives. The goal is to assess the situation and confirm that excessive speed is the source of the problem.
In light of recent events, Brian Gold encourages residents to file a complaint or petition with their Ward Councillor to assist Elsie Road in getting speed calming measures installed.
