Will speedbumps curb these nasty crashes?
There have been at least eleven crashes at a residence situated where Edward and Spoor Streets meet, in recent times, and it is only a matter of time before someone loses their life.
A MASSIVE crash took place in the late hours of the previous Saturday night where Edward Street meets Spoor Street.
For many, this would come as a shock. To residents in the area, this type of occurrence has become commonplace and fear for their own safety has eventually led to them speaking out against the unacceptable manner in which reckless drivers are utilising the stretch of road along Edward Street and failing to adhere to road signs thereby causing several dangerous situations and endangering the lives of others.
According to a resident in the area, there have been at least eleven incidents of this nature in recent times and it is only a matter of time before someone loses their life.
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The residents have reported the matter to the municipality, Public Safety and more recently, Ward 9 councillor, Alta de Kock.
The previous Saturday night, two people were injured when the driver of an allegedly speeding vehicle, according to video footage, failed to adhere to the yield sign at the end of Edward Street, lost control of the vehicle and went airborne through the wall of the facing property. The vehicle then smashed into a palm tree on the property before coming to rest on the premises.
According to emergency medical rescue personnel from KwaZulu Private Ambulance, who responded to the scene, the driver sustained severe head trauma and the passenger sustained moderate injury in the crash. Both were stabilised at the scene and transported to Vryheid Provincial Hospital.
Unconfirmed rumours of the park at the corner of Edward and Church Streets being used as a popular drinking spot and then Edward Street being utilised as a “drag strip” have been reported previously, which could be the explanation behind these unfortunate motoring mishaps, which has led residents to request that speedbumps be strategically placed in Edward Street to curb this type of reckless behaviour on the roads.
Cllr De Kock, when approached by the concerned resident, reported her concerns to an official at the Department of Public Safety and, when nothing transpired of that, she recommended that the resident report the matter to another official within the department at the municipality. Both reports proved to be fruitless however, and Cllr De Kock expressed her disappointment at how “unresponsive” the department appeared to be with regard to this concerning matter of public safety.
Do you live in the Edward Street or Spoor Street area? Have these incidents affected you? How do you feel about the addition of speedbumps in Edward Street to curb the use of the road as a “drag strip”?
