Corner of Jim Fouche and Road 1 again in spotlight after two vehicles crash through boundary wall

The value of preventative measures can be too apparent too late.

A woman was injured when two vehicles collided and subsequently crashed through the boundary wall of a residential development on June 14. The collision happened at the corner of Jim Fouché Road and Road 1, with the vehicles’ momentum taking them both through the boundary wall. The early-morning accident uprooted a concrete bin and debris from both vehicles still litters the intersection.

By June 21, construction work to rebuild the wall had began for the third time in the complex’s history. Elmarie Erasmus has lived at Inyati Lodge for 15 years and describes this accident as the worst they have had. Elmarie serves on the complex committee in the security portfolio and says several requests for assistance by installing traffic calming measures at or near the intersection have proven fruitless.

The road carries a speed limit of 60km/h and Elmarie mentioned either rumble strips or a traffic circle as a possible solution. Ward 85 councillor Zoné Hughes, when commenting on a petition for traffic-calming measures in her own ward, stated, “For a traffic circle, stop sign or new traffic light there is usually no petition needed. For these kinds of road signs all which is needed is for JRA to assess the area and do counts to determine if the above-mentioned traffic signals are needed in the specified area.”

Fortunately, the unit closest to the boundary wall is several metres from the impact zone with trees adding an extra barrier, or hazard, just inside the wall. Jim Fouche Road is a popular thoroughfare through Allen’s Nek and Weltevreden Park, with many pedestrians relying on alert motorists to ensure they are safely collected or dropped off along the way.

Note: Article corrected at 14:30 on June 22 to reflect error made in describing time of accident