St Audley Road becomes hotspot for reckless driving
Following five crashes in two years, Bryanston resident Richard Meyer pleads with JRA for some kind of traffic calming solution on St Audley Road.
Richard Meyer, who lives on St Audley Road in Bryanston, is calling for urgent, permanent traffic-calming measures, as street racing continues to damage his home.
Meyer said the sharp bend on St Audley Road has become a crash barrier for reckless drivers. The unfortunate ones drive into his wall, leaving his family without water and electricity for days. “In the last two years there have been at least five car accidents on this stretch of road that I am aware of. 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, such as water meters and electricity stations, are getting damaged, resulting in hours, days, and even weeks for residents without services.”
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Meyer added that a car crash outside his home in 2024 left their meter damaged, resulting in his being fined by Johannesburg Water for not having a meter. “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.”
Meyer added that the most recent crash, over the Easter weekend, left the water meter, electricity box, as well as a large section of his boundary wall destroyed.
While Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) is in the process of reinstalling guardrail at the site, Meyer believes it is not good enough to address the problem. “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.”
JRA acting head of mobility and freight Sipho Nhlapo said the guardrail is installed as a passive safety measure, 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.”
He added that while JRA is exploring additional engineering interventions, such as improved signage, road markings, and potentially speed-calming measures where technically feasible, the root cause, driver behaviour, must be addressed through enforcement and public education. “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 (JMPD) to prioritise this corridor for intensified enforcement operations.”
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In response to residents pleas for speed humps, Nhlapo said: “From a technical point of view, speed humps can be a feasible option on certain road classifications, subject to gradient, sight distance, public transport routes, emergency access requirements, and traffic volume thresholds.
“However, should speed humps be deemed technically viable, a formal petition, registered by residents, will still be required to demonstrate community support for the intervention, in line with the City of Johannesburg’s traffic calming policy.”
JMPD spokesperson Xolani Fihla said the department had not previously received formal complaints about St Audley Road, but would act following the recent 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.
“Our high-speed unit and regional teams are deployed to known hotspots to enforce the National Road Traffic Act. Following this report, we will initiate an immediate investigation into activities on St Audley Road.”
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