RESIDENTS of Umhlanga Manors have welcomed the news of a project to install 450m of armco barriers along their boundary wall after a series of crashes and near-fatalities.

For years residents have raised the alarm, calling on the eThekwini Traffic Authority (ETA) and law enforcement about reckless driving and motorists speeding through red lights on Umhlanga Rocks Drive, especially at the intersection of Umhlanga Rocks Drive and Guildford Avenue.

There have been seven accidents, with two major accidents occurring last year, one of which saw a taxi crash through the boundary wall of the Manors complex.

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In another accident, also last year, a resident’s boundary wall was spared only because trees outside the complex halted the vehicle’s momentum after it left the roadway.

The project has also been approved after funding was secured by the Community Infrastructure Projects (CIP) which funds repairs and construction based on councillor submissions.

Richard Edwards, the chairman of Umhlanga Manors Homeowners Forum, said residents felt that armco barriers were the way to go to stop vehicles from crashing through their boundary walls.

“We are very pleased and this is extremely good news. I’ve been working on finding a solution for the last two years and we had seemingly met with obstacle after obstacle from the City. Now funding has been allocated and the ETA have rubberstamped the project thanks to councillor Singh’s help.

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“The armco barrier will run from Grace Church all the way up to the top of our northern complex. This will not only protect our residents inside their homes but also residents and pedestrians when they walk up towards Gateway or down to the village,” Edwards said.

Ward 35 councillor Bradley Singh echoed that sentiment, saying the project would safeguard residents.

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