School drop-off zone upsets resident
Upset resident say parents dropping kids off park at stop streets in Mondeor and treat this as a drop off area.
JOHANNESBURG SOUTH – In response to the article ‘Children under siege from speeding motorists’, published in the CHRONICLE on May 20, I would like to comment on a few things. Firstly I do not by any chance condone reckless driving around school areas or any others areas whatsoever. I live around the corner from Mondeor High School and what I observe every morning when I leave home makes me hot under the collar before my day’s travels have even started.
Parents dropping kids off park at stop streets and treat this as a drop-off area. They think that their hazards give them the right to park wherever they want. By law you are not allowed to park within five meters (if I recall correctly) from a stop street. The kids could walk five metres further. School transport vehicles occupy large sections of the road and just park off with music blaring and total disregard for any other commuters. I was verbally lambasted once when I dared to speak to one of these drivers. So, needless to say, it’s a losing battle with these guys.
Then, last but not the least, the beloved school children. They think that they are invincible. They sit on the sidewalk with their legs in the road. They cross the road without looking, with those things in their ears and they cannot hear any vehicles approaching. A child once walked straight into my vehicle. Thank goodness I was crawling along. These kids don’t respect the rules of the road or the people using them. This seems to be a general trend with the youth and not just at this school. I shouldn’t generalise though, because I’m sure it’s not all the kids.
I spend most of my day on the road and have to defend the driver. Which brings us to another can of worms, as all car owners cannot be considered drivers. This is a conversation for another time.
Stefan Kisling
Editors note:
Mondeor High School Principal, Mrs Vangelia Nicolaou responded: “After the incident I called JMPD and Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) and we went through all the right channels to ensure a one-way. It’s working well although motorists and residents choose to do U-turns. I appeal to residents to be patient and work with us for the safety of the children.”
Since the publication of the article in the CHRONICLE, traffic control measures have been put in place to have Ormonde Drive, Radbourne Road and Beauval Street in Mondeor work as a one-way, for one hour in the mornings and in the afternoons, after-school.
