Glen Marais resident raises alarm over unauthorised plastic speed humps on Adrea Street

Glen Marais resident Hennie van Aarde is concerned about the plastic speed humps on Adrea Street, saying they were installed without municipal approval or consultation with residents.

He became aware of the humps on February 7, when they were installed following a WhatsApp message sent to a community group the night before.

According to him, the speed humps pose safety risks, damage vehicles and the road surface and inconvenience motorists.

“It’s a pain, literally, when exiting and entering Adrea Street. There are already speed bumps at the booms and the stop street. Now, you must immediately stop again to go over the plastic humps,” he says.

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The humps are near the intersection of Adrea and Joubert streets and close to a driveway. Van Aarde believes their placement creates dangerous driving conditions, particularly in wet weather.

“When you drive from the bottom of Adrea, you stop at the stop sign, pull off, and then have to stop again. I recently saw a driver almost lose control because it was raining and the plastic bumps are slippery,” he says.

While Van Aarde believes others share his concerns, he says many residents are reluctant to lodge formal complaints.

“People complain on the WhatsApp group, but when there was a meeting last May, I was the only resident who showed up. Not everyone is on the community group, and many don’t want to come forward,” he says.

He says the residents’ committee installed the humps without broader community participation.

“Residents were not part of the decision-making,” he says.

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Van Aarde says maintenance staff, part of the committee, not external contractors, installed the humps.

He says the humps were initially placed further from the stop street, then removed and reinstalled closer to it, leaving holes in the road.

“Those holes are going to cause more damage over time,” he says.

A key concern, Van Aarde says, is no municipal approval.

“I asked for written approval, but was never given proof. The municipality will not approve plastic humps. I spoke to ward councillors Amanda Davison and Jaco Terblanche, who immediately confirmed that,” he says, adding that no permit, reference number, official letter, traffic study, risk assessment or engineering plans were made available to residents.

Initially, the humps were installed without warning signs and road markings. Although signage was later added, Van Aarde believes it was incorrectly done and only after concerns were raised.

He is also concerned about emergency access, noting that Adrea Street is the only entrance to the area and provides access to the Glen Rus old age home.

“If an elderly person needs ambulance transport with as little movement as possible, these humps become a serious issue,” he says.

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Van Aarde has repeatedly raised the matter with the committee and at community meetings. At the most recent meeting, residents were told that more speed humps might be installed on Beukes Road.

He calls for the immediate removal of the existing humps.

“They were installed illegally, without proper communication, and are damaging roads already under strain. They need to be removed,” he says.

Ward 15 Clr Davison confirmed that residents brought the matter to her attention.

“I immediately referred it to the relevant department for help and investigation. The city confirmed that the plastic speed humps on Adrea Street were not approved or authorised,” says Davison.

“I am always available to help residents with matters affecting their community; however. This must be within the parameters of the law. Public roads cannot be altered without due process, and any safety interventions must comply with municipal policy and engineering standards,” she adds.

City spokesperson Zweli Dlamini says the Department of Roads and Transport Management received a complaint about the plastic humps on January 13.

“The applicant and relevant councillor were consulted on the same day to get context and details of who installed the plastic humps. The investigation is underway,” says Dlamini.

He confirms that the municipality did not approve the installation.

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“There was an application received requesting normal speed humps on Adrea Street, not plastic or tactile humps. The request was submitted by the chairperson of the Oppivlei Residents Association, Lebogang Parkies, and was signed by residents. The request will be evaluated in alignment with the relevant municipal policy,” he says.

Dlamini says residents’ committees do not have the authority to alter public roads.

“The city never erected these nor authorised the tactile humps. Therefore, the city is not liable for accidents or vehicle damage caused by them.”