Bryanston residents push for St Audley Road traffic calming as JRA cites policy limits

Bryanston residents face an uphill battle to curb reckless driving on St Audley Road after municipal officials confirmed that traffic calming policy prevents the installation of speed humps on arterial routes.

This comes after residents raised complaints with the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) about alleged car racing and speeding.

A guardrail was installed by the JRA at a dangerous bend in May, but residents said it did little to address the root cause of speeding cars.

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JRA acting head of mobility and freight Sipho Nhlapo previously stated that if speed humps were deemed technically viable, a formal petition registered by residents would be required to demonstrate community support, in line with the City of Johannesburg’s traffic calming policy.

According to resident Richard Meyer, whose property had previously been damaged several times by vehicles crashing off the road, the petition suggested by the JRA was submitted to the agency in May, but no feedback has been received to date.

“There was another major crash on our road outside our house on August 9,” Meyer said. “If it wasn’t for the crash barrier, they would have hit my wall again.”

Meyer added that CCTV footage showed vehicles racing at extreme speeds.

“It is so dangerous,” he said. “To date, we have not had any calming measures installed. Apparently, an assessment has been conducted by the JRA, but I am not sure as I have not seen a formal report.”

Responding to a Sandton Chronicle inquiry on August 27, Nhlapo said a traffic investigation was carried out to measure and observe motorists, cyclists, and pedestrian activity and safety, as well as the layout of the road.

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“The existing road signs and markings were also investigated,” Nhlapo said. “Traffic calming cannot be introduced on high-order mobility roads as the major function of an arterial is to provide for movement of people and goods vehicles between cities, towns, or urban districts with as few restrictions as possible.”

Nhlapo said the installation of traffic calming on Class 3 roads is not permitted as per the City of Johannesburg Traffic Calming Policy.

“Implementing any form of traffic calming measures on a major arterial will be against council policy and will result in further requests for similar measures along arterial roads,” Nhlapo added.

Speed humps restricted on arterial routes

Nhlapo added that according to the National Guidelines for the Design and Implementation of Speed Humps (CR-97/038), speed humps should under no circumstances be considered for use on Class 1, 2, or 3 roads.

“The undesirable effect on mobility makes them only applicable on lower-order roads where mobility is not the primary function of the road.”

The JRA recommended the installation of a raised pedestrian crossing on St Audley Road, directly opposite the bus stop, to facilitate safe pedestrian crossing for learners from the nearby school, given that on-street parking and a bus stop have been provided adjacent to the sports field.

Nhlapo added that St Audley Road forms part of a grid network of streets, noting that any traffic intervention on one street will impact the diversion of traffic to parallel routes, meaning interventions must be duplicated on parallel roads.

Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) spokesperson Xolani Fihla previously stated that the department will increase patrols in the area to discourage reckless driving and racing.

“The JMPD carries out regular patrols and specialised operations across the City of Johannesburg to combat illegal street racing. 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 these activities at St Audley.”

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