Uneven surface a hazard for runners, cyclists on viaduct bridge
Athletes have called on the City to maintain the pathway which they said at the moment contains several hazardous spots.
UNEVEN bumpy surfaces, holes and sandy pathways are all hazards for walkers and cyclists using the Ellis Brown Viaduct Bridge over the Umgeni River mouth (northbound).
The issue was brought to light by a group of cyclists who have urged the eThekwini Municipality to consider filling in the holes and maintaining the pathway which they said at the moment contains several hazardous spots.
Local resident Cheryl-Lee Lambert, who uses the route almost daily on early morning training, said one person had already filled one of the holes with stones in an attempt to smooth out the surface.
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“Both runners and cyclists use this route daily and in recent months the uneven surfaces and holes have posed a hazard for many of us using this route. I’ve become accustomed to hugging the shoulder on either side of the bridge but if your reaction times aren’t that quick you may collide with the person coming the other way or end up doing some serious damage to your bicycle and injuring yourself,” the East Coast Cycling Club member said.
“This route is used regularly and there is a lot of traffic especially in the mornings when people are either cycling or running. Another area of concern for us is the paving closest to the Beachwood Mangroves Nature Reserve side has begun lifting, which is also a danger. There is also a section where sand has covered the paving closest to the reserve fence, which is also quite concerning.”
Fellow cyclist and runner Fazel Ally concurred with Lambert, saying he now chooses a different route to ride due to the uneven, bumpy walkway.
“It’s not the best because quite a few people I know, including a running club, use this route daily. For a runner you risk spraining your ankle or tripping over the paving because it is so uneven. The one hole on the bridge is big enough for your foot to fit into and you can seriously injure yourself. For cycling, I have a team that I train with and we’ve stopped coming this way. We now cycle on Kenneth Kaunda Road (Northway). All we are asking for is for maintenance to be carried out on the route and for the municipality to patch up the holes on the bridge,” he said.
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