WATCH: Albert Street corner adds another notch to the accident belt
The family behind the wall on the outside curve living with the constant possibility of danger.
In the absence of change repetition is inevitable.
Residents of Albert Street between Batoka Avenue and Klapper Avenue were again subject to the familiar sound of screeching tyres and smashed concrete, on March 31. With every speeding car, Jaun and Jennifer van der Westhuizen wait for the possibility of needing to call their insurance company again.
At roughly 10:30 that Friday morning, the driver of a silver hatchback believed to be in her eighties lost control of her vehicle coming around the corner from Batoka Avenue. After over-correcting, the vehicle slid into the supporting column of the main gate, leaving the gate unable to lock. As well as the inconvenience of needing emergency repairs to their gate to ensure their family’s safety, a more violent collision may have affected the home’s electricity supply as the main meter is fixed less than a metre from the point of impact.
Also read: Accident on South Road
Watch:
The family has been calling for increased traffic calming measures for several years but has been stonewalled by Johannesburg Roads Agency(JRA). In November 2022, JRA had essentially put the matter to rest stating, “The road condition or natural state has not changed, therefore it will still be not approved”.
JRA did extend the collision barrier to protect the wall but believes the current signage, the gradient of the road, and amount of driveways along the curve make traffic calming measures impractical.
Also read: Yet another accident at infamous Witpoortjie intersection
In a fiery email addressed to JRA executives, Jennifer cemented her determination, venting, “I am at my wits end trying to beg and plead for the safety of firstly our home and children, and for our community. I will continue to bring this problem to the attention of everyone in positions that can motivate the installation of these speed bumps on behalf of the residents in this community, and will not stop until this goal has been achieved. Hopefully, long before someone gets killed or seriously injured.”
JRA has been contacted with further suggestions, including the possibility of rumble strips, but no feedback has yet been given. Officials at the roads entity have regularly cited driver behaviour as the most significant cause of the numerous Albert Street accidents but residents may argue drivers need sustained nudges in the right direction.
