No green light for robot dispute

ALTHOUGH the need for traffic lights at the intersection of Hospital Road and Shongweni Road in Hillcrest has been established, it appears that the KZN Department of Transport (DOT) and eThekwini Transport Authority (ETA) are saying that it is not their responsibility but that of The Plantations Estate.

For some years now the residents of Hillcrest and The Plantations Estate have been requesting traffic lights at this intersection, which also serves as the entrance and exit to the Plantations Estate, but meetings and letters between the various municipal departments and the Plantations Home Owners Association has resulted in stalemate with no one wanting to take responsibility.

In a letter to the Plantations Home Owners Association, Wlodek Gorny, Head of The KZN Department of Transport acknowledged that the results of a traffic survey indicate that the installation of traffic lights at this intersection was marginally warranted and could be considered but that his department would make no financial contribution to any aspects of this project because the developer of Plantations Estate, Owen Kemp had agreed, as a condition of access approval, to fund the installation of traffic signals at the intersection.

“Our approval of the Plantation access was on condition that at any stage improvements to this intersection are required, it will be 100 per cent to the development account. This condition has not been changed therefore it may not be expected that this department will contribute to the signalisation,” he stated.

A traffic count survey done on 3 February 2011 showed that the prominent traffic was coming from Hospital Road – with 78 per cent of traffic turning right from Hospital Road to the M13 – with a small per centage of Plantations residents trying to get across. The majority of the residents use the glide on and off to the Estate according to Alistair Bruce-Brand, Director of the Plantations Home Owners Association.

Mr Bruce-Band also said that Mr Kemp, the developer of the Plantations Estate has refuted this allegation that he is responsible for the cost of installing traffic lights and that no documentary proof can be produced by DOT of this agreement.

He also went on to say that traffic has increased over the years, with traffic not only affected by peak hour but made worse by school traffic drop off and pick up times from Hillcrest Primary School.

“These are two busy roads intersecting, with no speed signs or speed traffic, and I have seen cars flying along the road at over 100km/hr,” he added. He has personally witnessed and had to assist in an accident that occurred at this intersection.

eThekwini Transport Authority (ETA) stated that the low number of accidents along this road, did not warrant the installation of traffic signals and that they were not responsible and that if traffic lights were to be installed it would mean the entrance/exit gate at Plantations would need to be moved.

Incident reports indicate that in 2009 there were 12 accidents with 1 injury, in 2010 there were 13 accidents with 2 injuries, in 2011 there were 7 accidents with 2 injuries, in 2012 there were 9 accidents with 2 injuries and in 2013 there were 3 accidents with 1 injury. Although there were no fatalities that is still 28 car accidents within six years at this intersection.

Ward 10 Councillor Rick Crouch said that Shongweni Road is classified as a provincial road which makes the responsibility of the traffic signals that of the KZN Department of Transport.

“Is this going to be another case of ‘tombstone legislation’ where we have to wait for a certain number of deaths before we actually do something?” he said.

Councillor Crouch has attempted to contact the Town Planning Department several times in order to find the documentation that states that Owen Kemp is responsible.

“It is most unusual not to have something of this importance written down but I am having trouble locating the piece of paper and not one of my calls was responded to. The

residents have been failed by a classic passing of the buck,” he said.

Attempts by The Hilltop to contact both KZN Department of Transport (DOT) and Hillcrest Town Planning to try and locate the relevant document were futile.