Do not damage EMM’s roads

The Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality (EMM) has urged residents to refrain from digging trenches illegally in the roads as a means to slow down speeding traffic.

Instead, the EMM requested residents to make a formal application for speed humps, through filling out Traffic Calming Measures forms obtainable from the municipality or through ward councillors.

“The EMM’s Roads and Stormwater Department evaluates every request for traffic calming measures and implements them as per the national guidelines and policies for traffic calming,” said Mr Phillip Nice, the manager of Roads and Stormwater for the EMM.

He said, “Each request is evaluated and prioritised. When the request is warranted, the oversight committee approves the Preliminary Design Report and then the request is added to the waiting list for implementation.”

Residents are advised to ensure that the form clearly identifies the street name, or the affected area, the envisaged position of the traffic calming measure being applied for and a description of the nature of the problem.

Mr Nice said the request form should have the signature of the ward councillor and all the supporting residents in the affected area.

Communities should take note that it may not be possible to place traffic calming measures, be it if a certain type or any at all, on all roads. This is because of the classification of roads according to the purpose, according to Mr Nice.

He said, “For instance, a class 3 road is a higher order road, which in terms of the afore-mentioned guidelines, does not warrant the installation of physical traffic calming measures. This is because class 3 roads need to be functional as access and mobility routes. Implementation of vigilante methods will also therefore contribute negatively towards the functionality of the roads.”