A HOTSPOT for car accidents in Illovo Glen, San Gabriel Avenue, has prompted residents from the area to call for the introduction of traffic calming measures to curb the number of accidents.
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Vinnie Sivbadhan, a resident living near the infamous stretch of road which serves as a shortcut for many motorists headed towards Kingsway Road or the N2 highway, said, “We as the community believe there is need for speed bumps or some sort of traffic speed management that would reduce the speed in that vicinity. Over the years a few people have lost their lives in that vicinity and there have been accidents aplenty.”
He did a walkabout of the road, pointing out the accident hotspots, and designed a mock-up to highlight where the introduction of speed bumps could deter motorists from speeding. At the time of writing, he also noted a collision between a car and a bike near a pre-school along the road, on January 31.
Tamryn Stringer, a member of the community group which Sivbadhan runs, says there have been numerous car accidents on the road over the years. “To improve safety, the municipality should install metal crash barriers along San Gabriel Avenue, erect reflective caution signs to warn motorists, and set up streetlights along the road. Although the municipality repaired the pavement last year, more needs to be done to make the road safer,” she said.
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Dalene Heath, of Toti Community Assist, confirmed a string of accidents reported along the road on January 5, 9, 13, 17 and 22.
Ward 97 councillor, André Beetge, in response to the residents’ plight, said, “We have noted concerns raised by the resident and are already in discussion with law enforcement and other structures, including the recovery industry, in an effort to confirm some of the information. This being essential in motivating for a traffic assessment to determine whether, and what type of measures, would be required to achieve the desired objective.”
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