Reckless driving on St Audley Road leaves boundary wall in ruins

Residents along St Audley Road in Bryanston say the dangerous bend between Grosvenor and Ballyclare streets has become a hotspot for high-speed crashes, leaving nearby homes and city infrastructure damaged.

Richard Meyer, who lives on St Audley Road, said the situation has worsened over the past two years, as surrounding road closures have turned the stretch into a busy thoroughfare. Meyer said, in the last two years, there have been five car accidents on the stretch of the road, partly attributed to the fact that it is a popular choice for cars to race on. “The road has a sharp bend in it, and is a popular choice for supercar drivers to race on. Whenever there is an accident, city infrastructure is damaged, like water meters and electricity stations. This results in hours, days, or even weeks for residents without services.

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“In 2024, an accident outside my property resulted in our water meter being damaged. Johannesburg Water repaired the damage with a straight-line connection and then fined me for not having a meter. This fine was over R20 000 and I had to fight for over a year to get it removed from my account. At the same time, City of Johannesburg disconnected my electricity for not paying the fine.”

Over the recent Easter weekend, Meyer said another car crashed into his home wall, once again destroying the water meter, damaging an electrical box, and knocking down part of his wall. “I have spent a huge amount of time and money over the last seven days begging for services to be restored and carrying out repairs to my home. I have small children and to not have running water or electricity because of an issue that can be addressed is not fair on them.”

A Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) team was on site on April 10 to reinstall a guardrail previously damaged by a similar incident in 2016. “I am grateful for the barrier, but it does not do anything to reduce the car speed or traffic volume on the road. There are four schools within a 500m radius and the next accident could involve a child and be devastating. We need proper traffic calming measures for our road. Speed bumps are the best solution.”

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Responding to the concerns, mobility and freight acting HOD at JRA Sipho Nhlapo said: “While the existing guardrail was installed as a passive safety measure, it is important to clarify its function. Guardrails are designed primarily to reduce the severity of crashes by containing errant vehicles and preventing them from leaving the roadway or striking fixed objects.

“They do not, however, prevent accidents from occurring in the first place. Accidents at this location are overwhelmingly caused by poor driver behaviour, including excessive speeding and distracted driving.”

Nhlapo added that no infrastructure measure can substitute for responsible driver conduct, therefore, the primary intervention, beyond the guardrail, must be focused law enforcement, including speed cameras, visible policing, and strict penalties for traffic violations. “JRA continues to engage with the Johannesburg Metro Police Department to prioritise this corridor for intensified enforcement operations. In addition, JRA is exploring other engineering interventions, such as improved signage, road markings, and potentially speed-calming measures, where technically feasible.”

JMPD spokesperson Xolani Fihla said they had not received official complaint before the media enquiry. “Although we have not received formal reports about this specific intersection recently, we take all allegations of illegal street racing and property damage very seriously. Such behaviour presents a significant risk to both residents and road users. Following this report, we will initiate an immediate investigation into activities on St Audley Road.”

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