Amberfield residents in road row 10 years in the making
“The crossing in front of Amberfield is a nightmare in which you wonder every morning and some afternoons if it is your turn today to become part of the accident statistics at this crossing.”
“Some mornings it takes 15 minutes to drive to the front – and then it’s your turn to risk your life.”
This is how Rooihuiskraal resident Esna Killian described the Reddersburg/Lenchen crossing in front of the Amberfield Manor estate.
“It is a nightmare in which you wonder every morning and some afternoons if it is your turn today to become part of the accident statistics at this crossing.”
A study in 2021 found that at least five accidents happened at the intersection within mere weeks of each other. In one case, the accident involved a pedestrian trying to cross the busy street.
“It is truly incomprehensible that the city planners allowed all the new developments without taking this intersection into account. How bad is it going to be when the Lenchen extension is opened? This is truly a life-threatening intersection,” said Killian with reference to a new development further down the road.
“In 2016, the road was blocked off here,” explained Amberfield Manor estate manager Debbie Heunis.
“But it was a T-junction, so we had no need for concern.”
Work, however, started on the new development in 2017 and “they started working on the bridge (crossing the Rietspruit)”.
It was finished in 2019 and since the road has been causing residents much stress as traffic across the intersection has worsened as traffic volumes increased.
Now, with the completion of Lenchen Avenue connecting to the Old Johannesburg Road, residents are worried that the traffic will become unbearable.
The estate said that the road is unfit for the increased amount of traffic it serves, and that several accidents and near-accidents have occurred as a result of the dangerous crossing.
“We have had several near-misses there,” resident Sipho Seolonyana told Rekord.
“The cars that are coming from the bottom part are always driving at high speeds, and there is a slight curve at the top. This makes it very difficult to see other cars. We really hope something can be done.”
The problem with this road has been lingering for 10 years now.
In 2013, a traffic impact assessment by Dhubecon Consulting Engineers recommended that a traffic circle be implemented at the site.
The report compiled, by DJ Hundermark, said that once the Lenchen Avenue extension has been constructed and linked to the T-intersection, traffic flows will need to be reviewed at that intersection.
In the report provided to Rekord, Dhubecon used computer software to predict traffic in the area in 2020 due to expected developments and concluded that the proposed expansion would cause “long delays” at the Reddersburg Street intersection.
“A more comprehensive upgrade would be justified,” it read.
“Given the future traffic flows and the location of other roundabouts proposed in the area, it is also proposed that this Lenchen/Reddersburg intersection be upgraded to a roundabout.”
However, the road was completed but the roundabout never installed.
Amberfield Manor residents then quickly realised that the intersection was a threat to their safety.
On April 1, 2019, a petition with over 600 names called for the city to install additional traffic calming measures such as speed bumps.
However, residents were told that the road was a class 3 road and could not allow active calming measures.
The metro promised that it would prioritise the implementation of passive traffic calming measures such as road markings and signage.
In January 2020, a request for a traffic queue length survey was made to analyse the traffic at the Lenchen/Reddersburg intersection.
This survey took place on June 10, 2021, between 07:00 and 08:00, but the traffic engineering consultant found that the average queue length did not meet the criteria of the guidelines used by municipalities when deciding if traffic signals, such as robots, need to be installed.
“Engineers have done studies here and it doesn’t qualify for traffic light installation,” said local ward councillor Themba Fosi.
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