Circle of accidents

Some of the residents of Sundowner are convinced that motorists’ behaviour and speeding in Honeydew Road West is the main contribution to crashes in the area.
Most of the crashes apparently occur at the traffic circle between Honeydew Road west and Kalsedoon Street.
One of the residents who lives about 200 metres from the circle, Ina Redelinghuys, said she initially couldn’t get hold of anyone to help with the problem.
She said motorists did not slow down at the circle. “I do plant flowers there but after two to three weeks, motorists run them over,” she said.
She said there was a time when a church building adjacent to the circle was hit by a motorist. “The barriers along the road were hit twice in one week and have not yet been repaired,” she explained.

She said, on average, there is at least one accident every week at this circle although some of them were not always fatal. “If the council can at least build a speed hump, perhaps the crashes can be decreased,” she said.
Johannesburg Roads Agency spokesperson Bertha Peters-Scheepers confirmed that complaints were received with regard to the traffic circle. She said the road was a class 4 road which means it was a major road and consequently speed humps were not a feasible option for consideration.
“Engineers will generally implement traffic calming speed humps, raised pedestrian crossings and mini-circles only if the road is not in front of entrances, not in shade of trees and other physical objects during the day, and not on designated public transport routes,” she said.
She explained that speed humps could result in the relocation of the problem to adjacent streets, especially in areas where the road network is designed in a grid pattern.
She indicated that the entity would rebuild the circle with kerbs. “The entity will also ensure that the damaged and missing signage is replaced and visible. Law enforcement will also assist,” she concluded.