Accidents continue on R55 and African View Drive
MIDRAND – As long as our petitions are not met, more lives will be lost on a daily basis at this intersection – residents of Blue Hills.
Residents of Blue Hills Ext 15 have accused the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) of not doing enough to deal with the high accident rate on African View Drive and the R55 in Midrand.
According to petitioner and ANC Liliesleaf Farm Noordwyk Secondary VD coordinator, Marvin Maphiri, residents have experienced many fatal accidents on these roads over the past two years.
“Despite the fact that a public servant passed away after a terrible accident, the City of Johannesburg remains mum,” Maphiri said.
“As a result, a petition to deal with the ‘death trap’ was submitted to the Gauteng Legislature and City of Johannesburg Municipality in March 2018.”
On 15 August 2018, an on-site examination was conducted by the Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport, which was attended by various stakeholders, Blue Hills residents and Ward 112 committee members.
The department acknowledged the petitioners’ request and recommended to increase visibility on the road during night-time, to instal traffic signage and speed sensitising devices to alert motorists.
The Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department had begun implementing the law enforcement resolution with citations being issued for overspeeding.
“A robot or street light on the corner of African View Road and R55 was requested in the petition. After two months we received feedback from the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA), which is under the City of Johannesburg, rejecting the installation of a robot or [any] safety measures at the R55,” said Maphiri.
Zoleka Jika of the JRA marketing and communication department said when a petition is requested for traffic lights, it must follow the Road Traffic Act.
“The reason for the recommendation was based on the fact that the survey results indicated that the queue lengths at the intersection did not meet the warrant criteria for the installation of a traffic signal,” Jika said.
The installation of a traffic signal is deemed warranted at a junction, pedestrian or pedal cyclist crossing when any one of the following three queue-length warrants are met:
• Warrant 1: The average length of an individual queue equals or exceeds four over any one hour of a normal day
• Warrant 2: The sum of the average lengths of all queues equals or exceeds six over any one hour of a normal day
• Warrant 3: The sum of the average lengths of all queues equals or exceeds four over each of any eight hours of a normal day (the hours do not have to be consecutive, but they may not overlap).
Maphiri said they are disappointed in the JRA and the City of Joburg ‘for not being respectful to life’.
They maintain that they have been diplomatic and professional since the engagements began. “As long as their petitions are not met, ‘people will continue to be inconvenienced and lives will be lost on a daily basis at this intersection.”
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