New Outspan Road gets the public verdict

After a month since the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) resurfaced and installed rumble strips on the infamous Outspan Road which had been linked to numerous accidents, a few locals shared their views on the new-look road.

For three years, the hotspot area of accidents near Fillan Forest had been the topic of discussion for the residents of Riverclub.
After an increase of accidents on the road recently, one of which resulted in the death of an individual, JRA closed the road to the public for a week to resurface it, install rumble strips on both lanes and repaint road markings.

“The resurfacing of Outspan Road has caused drivers to use this road as a testing ground for their vehicles and you could follow their progress down Outspan by the engine notes. My suggestion to JRA to further discourage speeding would be to install more speed humps between the current bumps and 11th Avenue and to install signage at the bumps which should discourage drivers using the verge to bypass the bumps,” said resident Chris Murray.

Lauren Namer, who has been a resident of the area for more than a decade said, “We are extremely happy with the changes that the JRA team made. Even though we can’t change the painful things that have occurred in the past, we are thrilled that the area will be safer for everyone in the future. There have been fewer accidents and that is progress.”

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The spokesperson of the JRA Mosa Makhalima said, “The JRA has been able to provide road users with all possible road safety measures to alleviate road accidents on Outspan Road. The agency understands that road incident and accidents do occur even on the safest roads.

With all measures put in place, it is clear that motorists need to be educated on road safety and cautious driving or simply driver behaviour. The only alternative, for now, is engaging the JMPD to address the driver behaviour problems and reinforcement of traffic rules which is their mandate.”

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