Residents call for traffic calming on Senior Drive in Northcliff
The Johannesburg Roads Agency has received a petition signed by residents and is in the process of assessing whether humps would be possible and desirable.
Senior Drive in Northcliff is a residential street that was not built with the aim of it being a particularly busy road. In the last few weeks alone, there have been several accidents – with vehicles speeding down the street as if it was a ‘highway’, according to residents who live along it.
“We’ve lived in Senior Drive for 30 years – and have noticed a sudden, extreme uptick in traffic along the road in the last six months. The street is a residential one, but it’s now always busy with fast-moving traffic like a main arterial road,” says Sarah Buitendach.
“People fly down the road, constantly, and it is terrifying – not only for other drivers and residents coming and going but also for the many pedestrians who use the road. It seems traffic calming is essential now to slow motorists down and keep everyone in our community safe.”
The Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) has received a petition collated by residents, asking for measures to be put in place to reduce the speed of motorists. Depending on each situation, this can include, for example, installing humps in the road or traffic circles.
Operations and communications manager for JRA Bertha Peters-Scheepers says, “Traffic calming can lead to damage and increased maintenance costs of streets. It can also increase noise because of vehicles decelerating and accelerating and may negatively affect emergency vehicles needing to help someone in a crisis.”
“Consequently, JRA’s traffic engineering department advises that traffic calming should only be considered along local access roads where it is geometrically feasible, and where it is supported by affected stakeholders.
“A limited capital budget provision is available for the implementation of traffic-calming measures identified through petitions. Funding is allocated with priority given to traffic-calming measures surrounding schools and other community facilities. Should sufficient funding not be available to implement the project during the current financial year, the project will be placed on a priority list for implementation during the upcoming financial year/s”.
Buitendach says that JRA responded to the petition submission and email from Senior Drive residents last week. “A city traffic engineer also came out to survey the street. He requested a detailed report indicating where Senior Drive residents want speed humps and rumble strips. This has been submitted by us, and again was acknowledged as having been received.”
Updates will be published as they become available.
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