Download PDFAn Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department (EMPD) officer residing in Tsakani, East Rand, has erected speed humps between where his house starts and ends with no signs indicating their presence. An offence as this is one of the prerequisites, according to the municipal by-laws.
A resident who asked not to be named, said that it is very dangerous to drive along Tlokwe street at night, especially during load shedding. “The size of the humps is abnormal. It damages the underside of the car and for people who are not familiar with the road, it poses a danger to the unsuspecting motorists,” She started explaining. “On Saturday, 5 August 2023 a resident almost drove into my wall after losing control of his car. If children were playing outside he would have knocked them over,” she added.
Another resident said they are not against the idea of having the humps on that road, but the necessary requirements needed to be met. This includes the distance between the two humps and their sizes are illegal, and as residents they were not consulted.
As per the Ekurhuleni bylaws, a formal application for traffic calming measures must be submitted. It should contain the relevant signatures of the applicant and/or supporting residents in the block where installation is desired. In this case, the residents were apparently not consulted, as it is alleged the officer constructed the humps himself.
When approached, the officer decided not to comment, and the EMPD Spokesperson Chief Superintendent Kelebogile Thepa said they are investigating the matter and necessary remedies will be applied soon.
This article was submitted on 16 August 2023. You may republish this article, so long as you credit the authors and Karibu! Online (www.Karibu.org.za), and do not change the text. Please include a link back to the original article.
