The City’s transport department has responded to Sub-council 16 regarding an application for traffic calming measures at Main Road between Glengariff and York road in Green Point.
The application was made in June last year and the sub-council heard that this was necessary so that vehicles could safely access the main road from eight intersections.
Ward 115 councillor, Dave Bryant, said the road was used for public transport and accommodated a high volume of traffic.
Added to this, there were many accesses to the road and residents and other drivers park their cars on the side.
They heard that introducing traffic calming measures to minor residential roads is to reduce the risk of death or injury of road users, particularly at the busy intersections.
In response to the sub-council, the principal of traffic engineering, technician Thulani Makibi said the circumstances did not justify the implementation of traffic calming measures.
He said the Main Road was a class 3 road where mobility needed to be maintained and physical traffic calming measures were not considered appropriate on roads of this nature.
Mr Makibi stated: “The appropriate means regulating driver’s speeds along arterial is by effective law enforcement and traffic signals. There are two existing signalised crossings, one placed in close proximity between Main and Hill Road and the other placed in close proximity of Main and Wingtown Road.”
He added that there was not sufficient space to accommodate an additional signalised crossing along the road.
Meanwhile, the sub-council has also welcomed a response from the transport department regarding an application for traffic calming measures at the intersection of Seacliff and Beach roads in Bantry Bay.
A resident in the area, Sven Patterson, said the intersection at Seacliff and Beach roads was very dangerous because of an ineffective stop sign.
“Currently vehicles and motorbikes coming down the narrow Seacliff Road frequently do not stop at the stop sign and go straight through the intersection and continue along Beach Road.
“This is dangerous for oncoming traffic on Beach Road who have the right of way as well as pedestrians and cyclists,” .”
He said the vehicles often came down Seacliff Road at high speed without stopping properly.
He suggested that a speed hump in addition to the stop sign would ensure that speeding vehicles were forced to slow down and heed the stop sign and reduce the risk of accidents and death or injury to cyclists and pedestrians.
The transport department responded that this did not justify the implementation of traffic calming measures within Seacliff Road.
Mr Makibi said speeding was an issue throughout the city and therefore could not be used in its entirety to justify the need for traffic calming.
