The S-bend on Louis Botha, also known as the death bend, continues to live up to its latter name. Resident Brendon Naicker, whose property is right on the curve, shared some photos of accidents that have taken place on the bend for the past five years.
“In one case back in 2018, we heard a loud bang echoing right at the top of Young Avenue. Next, we heard a lady screaming, ‘my head, my head!’ On the scene of the incident, we watched the lady’s skull imprint into the windscreen. Horrific!” Naicker said.
Brenda Randera who is a committee member of the Upper Houghton Residents Association said vehicles keep crashing onto properties on the S-bend. She said she believes motorists drive too fast without being cautious of the curve.
Naicker said all this could be avoided by putting up a simple chevron sign and a barrier.
Naicker said, “Every week is an occurrence of injury, a sad state of negligence from our councillor. This should be all our responsibility to put an end to the lives ‘death bend’ has taken because there is nothing in it for anyone.”
Ward 73 councillor Eleanor Hugget said she had enquired in council in April regarding what was happening on Louis Botha as a whole. “It has been handed over from Johannesburg Development Agency (JDA) to Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA). The question was accepted but we are waiting for answers. Regarding signage, this all should be covered by JRA.”
Upon contacting the JRA, spokesperson Mosa Makhalima said the project is still under the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) .
The BRT was contacted by email on May 16, with a follow-up WhatsApp sent on May 19, and had not yet provided a response at the time of going to print. These were the questions posed to the BRT:
- Kindly share what remains for the Rea Vaya project to be completed?
- Does the BRT have a plan to instal road signs on the said dangerous road and when?
The JMPD was contacted on May 9, to ask if they had records of these accidents and to provide the number of accidents that have occurred on the S-bend from the year 2020 to date. Phone call and WhatsApp follow-ups after that still resulted in no information from the JMPD.
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