Crossing still cause for serious concern
Department of roads and transport has confirmed that traffic lights will be erected as soon as possible at the infamous Dalmada crossing
Even though the department of roads and transport has confirmed that traffic lights will be erected as soon as possible at the infamous Dalmada crossing, DA Limpopo members still picketed at the crossing last week.
This was to express their concerns that traffic lights will still not ensure that motorists act responsibly.
The decision to erect traffic lights at the crossing was made following the latest fatal accident that occurred some two weeks ago. Henry Raath (41) was the sole breadwinner of his family. He was killed at the crossing when a bus collided with him while he was riding to work on his bicycle.
DA ward councillor Lindy Wilson said the picketing was also aimed at raising awareness of the danger to motorists and pedestrians at the crossing. “We are very appreciative that the department will be erecting traffic lights at this crossing. But we feel that at the rate traffic lights are ignored in the city, the same will happen at this crossing and the death toll will continue to rise,” Wilson said. She added that it seems that the best thing would be to construct a traffic circle, as it had been proven all over the world that a traffic circle provided less of a chance for speeding and as such would be a better choice.
While the group was picketing on the side of the road, many motorists showed their support by hooting. There were taxi drivers, however, who were clearly not interested in road safety and nearly ran over the picketers to stop and drop off passengers at the intersection.
Sonya Clark, Dalmada resident, said she had been travelling the Dalmada-Polokwane road for many years and had been complaining about the safety of the crossing for just as long. “I have seen near-accidents on a daily basis where motorists change lanes without indicating and have also seen some horrific accidents on this road that could have been prevented if motorists just had some consideration for other road users,” Clark said.
According to Wilson, in the interest of saving lives, the DA will be monitoring the progress of the erection of the traffic lights being erected and do so in the interest of saving lives.
