The fact that motorists are speeding in particular areas is not a good enough reason alone, to install traffic calming measures.
So said Sub-council 16 when it turned down requests for traffic calming in Oranjezicht, Tamboerskloof and Vredehoek at its meeting on Wednesday June 15.
The reasons for three of the four requests for traffic calming cited speeding, which according to the City’s statement, is a universal issue throughout the metropolitan area and therefore cannot be used in its entirety to justify the need for traffic calming.
Land use activity and crash history are also used to determine risk potential when the City considers the numerous traffic calming applications received every day, the meeting heard.
According to the report presented at the meeting, Davenport Road in Vredehoek is non-compliant with the Traffic Calming Policy Directives Section 7(3) and does not warrant the implementation of traffic calming measures.
“No notable schools or such facilities were identified along the length of Davenport Road,” said Thulani Makibi, the City’s principal traffic engineering technician.
“An accident statistic of five years’ demonstrated that there were two pedestrian accidents, zero serious injuries, two were passenger’s accidents, and there were two unknown accidents, hence the total accidents occurred along the entire length of Davenport Road were in the region of 57 in total.”
For Hofmeyer Street and Welgemeend Street in Oranjezicht, the Transport Department’s assessment concludes that Stephen Street is located in a closed residential environment (cul-de-sac) and caters for approximately four houses.
That these four residential homes may only generate fewer than 10 to 15 trips during a peak period meant it was not considered a thoroughfare. The statistics for this road showed no accidents.
“After considering all of the aforementioned, we therefore do not believe that circumstances exist to justify any traffic calming along Stephen Street, Gardens,” Mr Makibi said.
Anton Van Der Sandt, who has been living in Gardens for 13 years, said motorists as well as delivery bikers ignore the stop signs at the intersection of Hofmeyer and Welgemeend streets.
“I’ve seen how cars just speed past the stop signs. They don’ stop and something needs to be done about it. Are they waiting for someone to get hurt before they put up speed bumps?” Mr Van Der Sandt said.
Ward 77 councillor Francine Higham, said the City was aware of speeding in these areas and implored drivers to obey the rules of the road.
“The area in question is part of a review of traffic calming around the Jan Van Riebeeck School precinct and so the matter is still undergoing further investigation by the City’s Urban Mobility Directorate. It is worth noting that there are stop streets in this area which, if adhered to by drivers, would not require additional traffic calming measures to be implemented,” Ms Higham said.
The same decision was applied to Homeleigh Avenue and Gorge Road, Vredehoek, where statistics over five years showed a total of seven accidents, none of which had resulted in neither fatalities nor injuries.
A request for traffic calming measures at Kloof Nek road, Tamboerskloof had been declined because it was a law enforcement issue, Mr Makibi noted.
“The blatant disregard of stop signs, lines and other measures is a city-wide problem which is addressed by enforcement. Therefore, this request is declined and it does not falls under traffic calming,” he said.
