THE uMhlanga Ratepayers’ and Residents’ Association (URRA) has raised concerns over traffic congestion in the uMhlanga CBD as road upgrades to widen Lagoon Drive and Lighthouse Road are ongoing.

At a recent stakeholders meeting, the eThekwini Municipality assured residents and ratepayers of uMhlanga that roadworks around the R4-billion Oceans Mall development will be completed in October this year.

However, this date has now been pushed back to November 3.

uMhlanga resident and chairperson of the URRA, Terri MacLarty, said concerns around pedestrian crossings and traffic congestion were some of the issues raised by residents and businesses alike.

“We’ve been informed at a recent meeting that all the work to widen and realign the roads into the village would be completed by November 3. Our concern at the moment is construction work on the north tower of the Oceans development is due to resume this week which will see more construction and heavy-duty vehicles move in and out of the area. This will impact further on traffic in the area and possibly damage some sections of the road which have already been resurfaced in some areas.

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“We’ve also raised concerns that there are no pedestrian crossings which is a must in any CBD. The fact that the new median doesn’t allow motorists to turn right into McCausland Crescent directly opposite The Pearls is also a concern. We understand development has to happen, but we are disappointed with the current upgrade not making concessions for pedestrians and motorists alike,” MacLarty said.

In a statement to the newspaper, City spokesperson Gugu Sisilana said the plans for the road upgrade were approved in 2016.

“The road upgrade was triggered by the need to improve the capacity of the road. It should be noted that the Pearls development has two accesses off Lagoon Drive. The plan for the road upgrade was approved in 2016 as part of the planning application process. No objections were received,” she said.

Ward councillor Nicole Bollman confirmed what the upgrades entailed and also raised concerns on pedestrian crossings.

“I have confirmed the current road layout was subject to the Spatial Planning and Land Use Management Act (SPLUMA application), which went for the public participation process. There was also a Traffic Impact Assessment (TIA) conducted, and there were allegedly no objections during these processes. The reason the road upgrade has been carried out, other than relieving traffic congestion, is for safety reasons. Lagoon Drive is now going to be wider than what it was previously, ie, two lanes versus the one lane. The City have insisted the median will stay where it is.

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“The City’s reasoning is if there are gaps to turn right from Lagoon Drive (going north) into McCausland Crescent, or to make a U-turn, it poses risks to road users if people shoot across the road or slam on breaks to turn. I do concur with the objections over the lack of pedestrian crossings as that should be an important aspect on the design of the road, however, the City’s position is that pedestrian crossings typically give people a false sense of security. As I understand it, work is being carried out currently to widen Lagoon Drive to two lanes with Lighthouse Road also undergoing construction to allow for an ease in traffic congestion,” she said.

Bollman said she believed that work was also being carried out to incorporate the GO!Durban Integrated Rapid Public Transport System into the construction.

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