Lack of pedestrian safety

I have been a local resident for almost 25 years, and I have seen the changes occurring and one of them is the lack of pedestrian safety. As an avid walker myself, you only really notice all the problems in our community when you are on foot, as when a person is driving, you concentrate on the road.

I have encountered numerous problems as a pedestrian and it just seems like these are getting worse over time. One of the main problems is how difficult it is to cross Kenyon Howden Road, especially during rush hour traffic. You literally have to dodge traffic to get to the other side and it’s even more concerning as school children are doing the same thing. Motorists do not yield to pedestrians at all, even at the very few pedestrian crossings in our areas.

Both Tern Way intersections are a nightmare for pedestrians to cross, and these are intersections that should have robots. Employing Metro Police during morning rush hour traffic does not help at all, especially when they are only at one of the Tern Ways and half of the time, they don’t get there early enough, when most school children have already started walking.

There is also a problem with insufficient robots set up along the busy intersections, like both Tern Ways and the intersection of Wood Road and Montclair Road at Montclair Mall, where numerous incidents have already happened and the municipality has not taken action. There is a huge outcry from the public for robots to be set up there. There is in fact a pedestrian crossing at the Wood Road and Montclair Road intersection but motorists still do not yield to pedestrians and the robots at Kenyon Howden Road and Montclair Road only have the green light on for literally five seconds before it changes – definitely insufficient time to cross.

Another few points of concern is Bale Avenue, where almost half of the motorists who turn off from Kenyon Howden Road into Bale Avenue and sometimes also Islesworth Avenue, do not indicate their intention, resulting in pedestrians almost being knocked over. On one occasion, this happened to me, A blue Nissan Almera driver turned into the road at the last minute, without indicating and driving over the 60km speed limit, just barely stopping in front of me as I was already crossing before he decided to turn. Another point of concern is the entry lanes into Shoprite and the tea room next to Shoprite – motorists do not slow down and indicate when turning in. Parents and public transport service providers also choose to rather drop New Forest High School pupils off at Shoprite and the tea room, instead of outside the school grounds. These pupils have to dodge traffic just to get to school, some of which probably do not make it on time before the bell rings as a result.

I urge more community members to take notice and complain to the ward councillors and make sure that our hard-earned tax money goes back into our community, where it is much needed.

I should also bring to attention how much litter is lying around, even on residential property, where the owners are responsible for the clean up of their own property. Some of these people have the attitude that it’s the municipality’s job to clean it up, but it is only the municipality’s job to clean up municipal grounds.

The municipality needs to ensure that bushes and overgrown plants are cut and cleared away for the safety of pedestrians, as muggers use these spots to hide and wait for their victims. The community must make sure that the municipality cleans and clears our areas, it is their job to pick up litter and cut grass and plants in public places. It is disgusting that it looks like we are living in a pig sty.

I hope the ward councillors, municipality and residents will take appropriate action in dealing with these issues and not let it go by without any consideration before a serious incident happens, like a child being knocked over.