Ward 47 residents deliver memorandum over deadly Delmas Road
There has been expressed concern around child safety given that the intersection is located on a route used for transporting children on a daily basis.
Frustrated Ward 47 residents, community organisations, and their ward councillor have handed a memorandum of demands to the Tshwane metro, calling for urgent engineering upgrades on Delmas Road.
The memorandum was presented to Community Safety MMC Alderman Hannes Coetzee on behalf of Tshwane Mayor Dr Nasiphi Moya.
It warns that the intersection at Delmas Road and Barnard Street presents a serious danger to motorists, passengers, and pedestrians.
Ward 47 councillor Lida Erasmus said more than 520 residents signed the petition accompanying the document, which gives the metro 14 days to install right-turn signals on all four traffic lights at the intersection.
“The memorandum also demands that Tshwane install and enlarge speed indicator signs, install signage that warns commuters of the crossing ahead, repair street lighting at the intersection, and also start the process of procuring and installing speed cameras,” Erasmus said.
The community is further demanding that the Tshwane Metro Police Department deploy a dedicated vehicle to the intersection for by-law enforcement while permanent measures are implemented.
Community member Marcel Blanc, who helped deliver the memorandum, said repeated representations over several years have failed to yield results.
“Responses have included assertions that there is insufficient budget, that turning-traffic volumes do not justify the intervention, or, in some instances, no substantive response at all,” Blanc said.
Failure to address known risks
Blanc said non-functioning streetlights, excessive speeding, inadequate law enforcement, and unsafe traffic conditions make the stretch a serious hazard.
He added that an intersection design that restricts visibility, combined with a bend in Delmas Road on the approach from Solomon Mahlangu Drive, increases collision risks for motorists crossing opposing lanes.
A stakeholder meeting held in March failed to produce tangible improvements.
“We are gravely concerned that, unless urgent action is taken, a future collision could involve a school bus, minibus taxi or motor vehicle carrying children,” Blanc said.
“We cannot wait for another fatality or a mass-casualty incident before implementing effective preventative measures.”
Legal action threatened
The memorandum gives the city seven days to respond to the demands and 14 days to implement physical interventions.
Should the city fail to act, residents warned they reserve the right to take legal action, lodge formal complaints with the Public Protector, or report statutory contraventions to the SAPS.
Coetzee acknowledged receipt of the document and confirmed it was referred to the mayor’s office as well as the roads and transport department.
He noted that the city’s roads department must consult provincial authorities before issuing a formal response to the residents.
He said that the metro has to reply to the petition within seven days, but cannot comment immediately as the petition must be discussed by several different departments, and a written response will then be issued.
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