Unmarked speed bumps in Park Rynie cause mayhem
Several vehicles have already been damaged.
There is consternation in and around Park Rynie after a number of speed bumps were installed throughout the area last Saturday, January 20.
For some, it’s a positive, as people will avoid speeding there, but for others it’s causing havoc.
The speed bumps were put in place, but with no warning signs or road markings to indicate they are there.
And to make the problem worse, many of these areas have streetlights which work only intermittently, making the bumps particularly difficult to spot at night.
The unmarked bumps have already caused minor damage to several vehicles.
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Brandon Govender, a Park Rynie local, was devastated after his car was damaged.
“There were no markings or signs telling us that there are now speed bumps all over and I didn’t see it in time because it wasn’t very visible at night. This resulted in damage to several parts of my vehicle, with costs running into the thousands,” he said.
Another local, Nicholas Reddy, was also taken by surprise when he came across these speed bumps.
“Some cars have to go even more slowly over speed bumps because of their build, but we can’t slow down in time because there are no indications,” he said, “My car was damaged too, with costs reaching over R30 000, and I don’t think it’s fair to pay for something we could have avoided had there been warnings.”
Park Rynie’s Ward Councillor, Shara Singh provided feedback on the issue:
“For almost five years, residents of Park Rynie have been requesting speed humps on some of the roads due to speeding vehicles, especially taxis.
The ward 15 committee has also submitted these requests.
Umdoni Municipality finally appointed a service provider to install five speed humps on Second Avenue and one speed hump on First Street in Park Rynie.
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Without notification to myself as the Ward Councillor, the contractor proceeded with the work on Saturday without putting up the necessary signs.
To date, they have not procured the paint for these humps either. People who have damaged their vehicles should look at the legal options to claim for damages.
Should it be found that their damages arose from negligence on the part of the contractor or the municipality, then they may well be able to claim successfully.
As per the contractor, he is hoping to have the signs put up by Friday and have the painting done by the weekend.
This once again shows the total disregard for the safety of citizens by the municipality.”
Comment from Umdoni Municipality:
“The municipality regrets the damage of motor vehicles due to the Speed Hump project that is still underway. Unfortunately the matter has to be forwarded to the contractor as the project has not been handed over to the municipality; it is also the responsibility of the contractor to comply with Health and Safety regulations ie Visible signage and traffic calming systems have to be in place to avoid accidents and damage to property.”
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