Speed hump petition begins to bear fruit
A petition drawn up by Parktown North residents calling for speed humps on the suburb's busy 4th Avenue has begun to bear fruit.
At a meeting held at Giles restaurant, residents dialogued with ward councillor Tim Truluck, members of the Residents’ Association, a Johannesburg Roads Agency representative, and the ward’s urban inspector.
Fourth Avenue remains the only avenue without speed humps in the suburb, and was formerly a bus route. The street has become a popular route for motorists who rat-run through the suburb at high speeds (Traffic petition gathers reponse, Gazette week ending 31 May).
After a welcome by Truluck, outgoing Residents’ Association chairperson David Culverwell spoke about the history of the residents’ attempts at the implementation of traffic calming measures.
Agency road traffic engineer Esther Schmidt said that the agency had received the petition, but had engineering concerns regarding speed humps. She said that among the concerns was the effect the humps would have on surrounding streets, as well as the gradient of the slope.
Schmidt said the agency would engage with residents to find other possible solutions to the problem, and suggested measures such as kerb lines, narrowed roadways known as “chokers”, raised intersections, and temporary road closures.
When asked by a resident about speed cameras, Schmidt replied that while speed law enforcement was an effective deterrent, it was the province of Metro police.
“The agency would fully support speed cameras,” she added.
Schmidt said the agency would see to improved road markings and signage within 30 working days, and that a traffic count would be made toward the end of July and the first week of August.
“We will produce a gradient map and indicate where various measures would be allowed. The traffic counts could motivate for certain measures, and while the agency does have the budget for it, budget allocation would require intervention from MMC for Transport, Christine Walters,” she said.
Truluck said he would continue to work with the residents’ association and Schmidt on a solution for the street’s traffic problems.
