Damaged barrier on notorious bend poses traffic danger
Maraisburg's notorious 9th Street: A serious accident waiting to happen.
The Engen Junction Service Station in Maraisburg has been the site of many vehicle crashes over the past few months.
According to service station manager Lebo Tlotleng, there have been at least four accidents at this spot since July.
Situated at the convergence of 9th Street and Albertina Sisulu Road, the road features a dangerous turn from Du Plessis Street into 9th Street, where the high water table in the area has been causing water to leak into the street continuously for years.
This resulted in damage to the road surface over time and vegetation growing into the road surface, taking up an entire lane on the turn.
“It is also very dark here at night, so cars coming down Du Plessis Street cannot see how dangerous this stretch of road is,” says Tlotleng.
“They tend to come down Du Plessis Street at speed only to find it’s too late to brake when they round the bend into 9th Street.”
This means that time and again, vehicles burst through the steel barrier and end up crashing into Engen’s staff parking area, which is about a two-metre drop from the road level.
“With the last accident that occurred here, there were children in the car. It is a miracle that no one was seriously hurt,” she says.
The Roodepoort Record reported on Florida South Resident’s Association chairperson, Rodney Churchyard, and his team’s efforts to intervene when they removed the vegetation off the road surface and cleared the blocked storm water drain in the bend during September.
“We are very appreciative of these efforts,” says Tlotleng, but the fact that the steel barrier remains broken after the last accident is a serious problem.
“If someone were to lose control here again, there is now nothing to stop the car or slow its speed.
“We’re afraid it’s a question of time before someone gets seriously injured.”
Tlotleng adds that the issue has been reported to Johannesburg Road Agency (JRA) on numerous occasions, but no follow-up has been received.
The Roodepoort Record approached JRA spokesperson Bertha Peters-Scheepers, and will add her response once received.
