Residents of Bedfordview have signed a petition expressing their disapproval of oversized trucks cutting through the suburb.

Ward 20 Clr Jill Humphreys said oversized and overweight trucks entering Bedfordview, particularly on Kloof Road off AG De Witt Drive, cause significant damage to infrastructure.

She said their size and weight prohibit them from negotiating intersections and traffic circles without driving over them. Humphreys requested bold signage and road markings indicating a maximum weight of four tons to alert drivers.

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She said this would enable the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department to conduct ticketing operations.

Humphreys called on the MMC for Roads and Transport to assist with providing the equipment and materials.

“A lot of people are really cross about this, and they have been signing the petition. Trucks have caused severe damage because they’re so big they can’t turn on corners.

“When they come to an intersection, they cannot turn, so they go over the pavement and knock over everything,” said Humphreys.

Since March, Humphreys has appealed to the City of Ekurhuleni for signage and road markings to keep the trucks away.

Earlier in August, she asked the city to help protect the suburb’s kerbs from unlawful trucks.

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“These trucks frequently get stuck because they cannot turn on our narrow roads and intersections that are not meant to carry these loads. Traffic circles are ignored,” said Humphreys.

She said feedback from residents includes a call for a steel height-restriction grid across the road to stop access.

Residents also allege trucks unlawfully use these roads to avoid traffic during the day and shorten their routes at night, with some calling on the police to hand out hefty fines.
The petition will be submitted to the City of Ekurhuleni at the end of August.