Motorists and pedestrians face growing safety risks from an unauthorised dirt route along Pitts Avenue (R55), where reckless driving and dangerous overtaking occur regularly during peak hours.

The dirt section runs alongside the main carriageway between Kyalami Estate and Kyalami Race Track, and is used by taxis and private motorists to bypass stationary traffic.

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Ria Sebetsa Security Services CEO Danny Maduray said the situation is creating serious hazards for road users.

“There has been an illegal third lane created by motorists, especially taxis, and now our normal civilians are taking advantage of it,” said Maduray. He described the route as a corrugated dirt road, adding that its increasing use was contributing to congestion and air pollution.

Ward 132 councillor Annette Deppe called for urgent intervention from the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD), stating that lawlessness by taxi and private vehicle drivers was escalating along the R55 corridor.

Deppe said residents raised concerns about reckless driving, disregard for traffic laws, and behaviour placing motorists and pedestrians at risk, particularly outside Kyalami Estate, the race track, and towards the Woodmead on-ramp.

“This situation has now reached a critical point, with some residents expressing extreme frustration and anger, a clear indication that urgent intervention is needed to prevent a complete breakdown of law and order,” she said.

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Deppe condemned any form of vigilantism but warned that tensions were growing amid concerns over a lack of enforcement and visible policing. She called for a joint intervention by the JMPD and the city’s transport entities, increased law enforcement visibility and operations along the corridor, and a multi-stakeholder meeting involving taxi associations, residents, and relevant authorities.

She also called for sustainable traffic-management measures to address the underlying causes of the violations. “Residents deserve safe roads, and law-abiding citizens cannot continue to live under these conditions while traffic laws are openly ignored,” said Deppe. “We urge the City of Johannesburg to act decisively before this situation escalates further.”

JMPD spokesperson Superintendent Xolani Fihla said the department had received reports of reckless driving, including motorists using unauthorised dirt sections and pedestrian pathways to bypass peak-hour congestion. “Driving on shoulders, road verges, or pedestrian walkways is illegal under the National Road Traffic Act,” said Fihla.

He said JMPD officers would conduct targeted enforcement along the R55, including at the Pitts Avenue and Allandale Road intersection, with motorists caught driving off the road, overtaking dangerously, or disobeying traffic signs facing fines.

“While heavy traffic creates frustration, it does not justify illegal manoeuvres,” said Fihla. “Impatience and reckless choices, such as mounting verges or distracted driving, directly jeopardise the safety of pedestrians and other road users.”

According to Fihla, JMPD officers, together with Outsurance pointsmen from Traffic Freeflow, are routinely deployed to assist with traffic flow along the corridor. However, operational resource constraints mean dedicated enforcement sweeps targeting Pitts Avenue currently take place approximately once a week.

“While resource limitations restrict a permanent daily static deployment at this specific node, officers will continue to integrate random, high-visibility enforcement operations and peak-hour point duty along the R55 as resource allocation permits,” he said.

JMPD urged motorists to exercise patience, follow traffic rules, and avoid unsafe shortcuts, distracted driving, and mobile phone use behind the wheel.

Fihla also advised motorists to consider leaving earlier to avoid the worst of peak-hour congestion.

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