Resident’s plea leads to new speed bump
A resident’s call for safer roads has finally been answered with a newly installed speed bump, aimed at slowing down speeding drivers in the area.
A Weltevreden Park resident is breathing a sigh of relief after a five-year struggle to make her street safer finally paid off with the installation of a speed bump.
Jennifer van der Westhuizen said the change has been ‘immediate and dramatic’, with reckless driving all but eliminated.
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“Before, cars would fly down this street as if it were a main road. Now, every single vehicle slows down. It’s no longer a racetrack; it finally feels like the residential street it was always meant to be,” she said.
Van der Westhuizen first raised the issue five years ago, describing the process as lengthy and often frustrating.
“It taught me that change is possible, even if it doesn’t happen overnight,” she explained.
Her journey involved more than just complaints. She built a strong case by gathering evidence over the years, including videos of speeding vehicles, photos of near misses, and detailed logs of incidents.
She also engaged the media to highlight the issue publicly and keep pressure on the authorities.
The turning point came when the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) commissioned an independent civil engineer’s report, which confirmed the dangers she had been warning about. Van der Westhuizen credited JRA’s Khayalethu Gqibitole and Mwezi Ndwe for finally listening and taking action.
“The relief is profound,” she said. “The constant, low-level anxiety of living here has simply vanished. I no longer flinch at the sound of a speeding car or worry about my family’s safety in our own garden. For the first time in years, we have true peace of mind.”
Van der Westhuizen urged other communities facing similar battles to remain persistent and strategic. “Be persistent but professional. Build an evidence-based case and find the right ally within the organisation,” she said.
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“Your 10th email is as important as your first. Don’t give up, your family’s safety is worth the fight.”
The newly installed speed bump, combined with a 30 km/h speed limit and improved signage, has transformed the street. “It’s the decisive solution we needed,” she said. “Today, we’re celebrating a major victory that has made our home immeasurably safer.”
Her story stands as a reminder that persistence, evidence, and community pressure can lead to real change even if it takes time.
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