Poor speed limits lead motorists to use Maxwell Drive as a racetrack

The road connects to all major intersections in the suburb, and Ward 93 councillor Annette Deppe said the road has turned into a major problem for the area.

“There are many concerns here, [and] safety is the number one worry for our residents,” she added.

Residents say motorists driving from Eskom towards the Shell Garage and connecting to the K60 have been driving at high speeds and have endangered the lives of many road users and pedestrians.

Deppe said there were many people walking in the street to and from their offices, and visiting the nearby shopping centre. She said they are at risk of being knocked over.

The corner of Maxwell Drive and Edison Crescent have already seen numerous collisions, accidents, and even a fatality.

Deppe claimed accidents on Maxwell Drive are mainly due to motorists ignoring the speed limits on the road.

However, Rob Kimmings, chairperson of Sunninghill Community, said the lack of signs and poor speed limit warnings are equally to blame. “There are two different speed limits given for both directions on Maxwell Drive,” said Kimmings in a recent 10 plus meeting.

Motorists driving from Eskom are instructed to drive at 60km/h however in the opposite direction they are instructed to drive at 70km/h. He argued that motorists have assumed there is an average speed for both directions. He also said that there aren’t any cameras on the road, allowing for them to take advantage and break the law.

A high school located on the road sees many parents dropping their children off during rush hour traffic, and drivers ‘jumping’ robots and have been putting their lives in grave danger, Deppe said.

In order to eradicate speeding motorists, Deppe has agreed to ask the municipality to provide better signs and speed limit warnings. She also said that she will be working closely with the Metro police and has organised speed traps to catch motorists breaking the law.