Lane reduction, warning signs curb accidents
Accidents have declined considerably following action taken by the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA).
The EXPRESS has, over at least six years, been reporting on accidents that occurred in Cooper Street, Cyrildene.
Ms Cecily Squire, a resident in the area, warned of deaths if the city did not take action.
She pleaded for traffic calming measures that would reduce accidents.
Some of her suggestions to reduce the number of accidents were to install speed cameras, an electronic billboard telling people to slow down or rumble strips.
Authorities said some of these measures, including traffic lights and speed humps, could not be implemented because Cooper Street is a main arterial route.
Ms Squire’s main concern was the corner of Cooper Street and Christeen Avenue.
In October 2008, the EXPRESS reported that at child (12) was killed by a motorist.
In August 2009 it was reported that a speeding motorist lost control of his vehicle and it spun into a wall. This was followed by another incident involving a woman who lost control of her vehicle and sustained serious injuries.
In another accident, a passenger died after a motorist slammed his vehicle into a barrier. Ms Squire complained about the warning flashing lights being out of order on numerous occasions. The JRA eventually reduced the lane widths on Friedland Avenue, which becomes Cooper Street in Cyrildene.
Last week Ms Squire said, “There are three 60 kilometre warning signs close by going up Cooper Street towards Observatory, and at least two close by coming down towards Cyrildene. The flashing warning lights are working. Accidents have reduced considerably,” she said.
She said the lane reduction has also helped in reducing accidents in the area.
“There have been a few accidents but they were not serious. Motorists occasionally use the area between the yellow line and pavement but it is not as bad as it used to be. There has been an improvement,” she said.
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