Questions raised after pedestrian struck by Metrobus
Man still fighting in ICU of local hospital
Failure to maintain the little things can breed the circumstances for greater problems.
A 65-year-old man is in the intensive care unit of a local hospital after he was struck by a Metrobus on Wednesday, 28 April. The man is believed to have been walking up CR Swart Road toward the Wilgerood Road intersection when he was clipped by the oncoming Metrobus at roughly 7.30am that morning. The force of the impact left the man with a fractured skull which has since been operated on.
In the days following the incident, authorities and concerned parties have been attempting to piece together the puzzle to understand how this accident could have been avoided. The matter was reported to Roodepoort Police, and Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) and Metrobus are all aware of the matter, with each investigating the incident.
Democratic Alliance (DA) Member of the Provincial Legislature and Political Head for Greater Roodepoort, Councillor Nico de Jager, believes the City should take responsibility for their contribution to the circumstances. “Not only are the road signs not sufficient but the sidewalks are also overgrown or in a state of disrepair, leaving residents with no option to use the road to walk,” he said.
De Jager claims mismanagement by City entities such as Metrobus is failing the communities they are supposed to serve. “Accidents are often a result of maintenance failures or driver behaviour. For many years now the entity did not receive Capex investment to start with a re-fleeting programme, while the entity also did not receive sufficient budget to do the necessary maintenance on old busses. One would hope that Metrobus will fulfil its obligation to provide ongoing training and refresher courses to all its drivers in advanced driving skills,” stated De Jager.
JMPD, who have been accused of not attending the scene as per procedure, are compiling their response to the incident. Meanwhile, Metrobus are currently embarking on strike action and will respond in full in the coming days.
