Petitions DO work. You petitioned the Speaker to act on The Curve - and we have action.
JRA will now build an enormous traffic circle there with new signing AND pedestrian crossings for the kids. No more toyi-toying to the Mayor's house in Kensington (as ORA planned) and no more deaths at this dangerous intersection.
Here is the promise:
File Ref: 11/3/1
Enquiries: Mr. A. Du Toit
Tel: 298-5222
Fax: 298-5176
4 December 2006
Ms. Carine Hartman
Per e-mail:
Dear Madam
INTERSECTION: OBSERVATORY AVENUE AND THE CURVE, OBSERVATORY
Please refer to your service request no. 83227 logged on 15 November 2006
The JRA has appointed Consulting Traffic Engineers to investigate traffic safety at the intersection of Observatory Avenue and the Curve. The Consultants finalized their investigation and submitted the report to the JRA.
The recommendation is that, minor road works, in the form of an island be done and that traffic signals are installed at this intersection. The proposed work is in the design stage. Once the designs are completed arrangements to commence with the work will be made.
The Traffic Engineering & Analysis Section of the JRA investigated the intersection of Observatory Avenue and Short Street and recommends that a painted pedestrian crossing with the necessary signage be implemented on Observatory Avenue on the eastern side of Short Street.
It is trusted that the information provided will be of value.
Yours faithfully
P FILBEY
ACTING GENERAL EXECUTIVE MANAGER
BUSINESS MOBILITY NETWORK
JOHANNESBURG ROADS AGENCY (PTY) LTD
Mr. Sheburi, Petitions Committee
Posted by
on 16 January 2007 Councillor Carol Milner and I had a site inspection with two officials from the Johannesburg Road Agency yesterday (7 August) - and what a fruitful meeting it was.
The JRA has pledged to within the next couple of weeks install two pedestrian crossings at The Curve and Observatory Avenue and to within two months build a well-designed large traffic calming circle at that busy intersection to slow cars down for pedestrians crossing.
There is no money for such a project, JRA claims, but we have pledged to submit the petition you have signed to the Speaker and ask for emergency funds to be allocated for this. Power to the people! Your voice CAN make a difference!
Posted on 8 August by Carine Hartman At the Observatory Ratepayers Association's monthly meeting last Thursday we decided to take a tough stance with Johannesburg Roads Agency after an Observatory East Primary School pupil, Freddy Manzumbu,8, was knocked down and seriously injured in Observatory Avenue towards The Curve. His leg and pelvis were broken, his teeth were knocked out and he sustained facial, head and internal injuries.
A 9-year-old girl from the same school, who was knocked down at the same spot in April, spent two months recovering in hospital.
That death trap already claimed the lives of two pedestrians this year and we appealed to JRA to install a footbridge there on June 5 - a request they swiped off the table... This is how we responded:
19 July 2006
Mr. W Cleinwerck Traffic Engineer: General Networks Management JRA
Dear Mr. Cleinwerck
The Observatory Ratepayers’ Association appealed to you on 5 June (Ref: 11/3/1) to address the problem of pedestrians crossing Observatory Avenue in the vicinity of The Curve, after two pedestrian fatalities have been recorded there this year already.
We suggested a pedestrian bridge from the Observatory park, as most motorists will just ignore a pedestrian crossing and the cost of traffic lights are prohibitive. We even offered to actively raise funds for traffic calming measures to help Council with the cost of such a project.
Your response on 6 June was disappointing, and I quote: o JRA is attempting to solve this problem of road safety (in this case mainly caused by speeding) through the three pronged approach generally applied by road safety practitioners viz: Education; Engineering; Enforcement of the Laws. o You told us that you have received over 2 000 requests for traffic calming; o that a professional Traffic Engineer must evaluate a set of 16 technical criteria; o that preference is given to areas around primary schools; o that a footbridge will cost in excess of R1 million, and o said “your request will be forwarded to the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department to carry out speed law enforcement.”
You quite rightly ended your correspondence saying we will not be satisfied with your reply – especially not in the light of yet another serious accident three days ago: a child was knocked down by a car and suffered serious head injuries, several broken bones and internal bleeding.
We are aware of the enormous challenges faced by the Johannesburg Roads Agency, but have offered to help with raising funds.
Exactly 5 151 pedestrians died in 2004, according to the latest figures available. A study released in Britian recently confirmed: speed trapping does not make the slightest jot of difference to road safety.
What is a child’s life worth? The R600 000 for a traffic light? The R1 million for a footbridge? We think so and if this issue is not resolved satisfactorily we, as ORA, will in future institute costs against JRA for every pedestrian fatality there.
How many more people must die at this dangerous intersection just because it is not near a primary school and is just one of more than 2 000 requests that must be evaluated by a Traffic Engineer? We think none.
Please address this death trap without further delay – and know you will have our support in whatever solution you can find.
