No crossing for pedestrian road users
While the red and green lights worked perfectly for motorists, the sign for pedestrians to cross remained red.
Motorists can finally heave a sigh of relief after the newly installed traffic lights in Ferreira Street went live. The flow of traffic to and from the city centre and Steiltes has become safer and the traffic lights are in working order.
Though, during a visit to the area yesterday, Nelspruit Post noticed that there does not seem to have been any provision made for pedestrians. There are no pedestrian crossings at either traffic light, which could pose serious safety concerns for pedestrians wishing to cross the road from one side to the other.
Bridget Mpande put this to the test to determine whether crossing at the Penny Street and Joubert Drive traffic lights would place pedestrians in harm’s way.
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“The new traffic lights are a great idea and have greatly increased the safety of motorists travelling along Ferreira Street, but it took me quite a long time to muster the courage to cross,” she said.
While the red and green lights worked perfectly for motorists, the sign for pedestrians to cross remained red. This means that they have to walk a distance of about 500 metres towards the city centre before being able to cross safely.
Mpande finally braved the steady flow of traffic and crossed the road, checking to see whether pushing the pedestrian crossing button would change the signal on the other end to green. It did not and she waited until the traffic flow eased before crossing over to the Penny Street section.
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The service road, which runs parallel to Ferreira Street, has been reopened and pedestrians and motorists alike will be able to make use of it. Work on the road is continuing at a steady pace and on completion, Nelspruit Post will check to see whether the road is pedestrian friendly.
