Durban - RESIDENTS living along Simla Road in Merebank are calling for speed humps on the road, sometimes used for illegal drag racing, saying more accidents would take place if nothing was done.
Their pleas, however, have apparently fallen on deaf ears, as the eThekwini Municipality responded saying the road did not meet the requirements for the implementation of speed humps.
Resident Lynette Chetty said two weeks ago a local 23-year-old law student died in hospital after succumbing to injuries sustained when he lost control of the car he had been driving on Simla Road. Chetty said the young man’s car crashed into a tree.
“The tree was uprooted, the driver was stuck inside his vehicle for four hours. People speed on this road all the time. We need speed humps so lives can be saved, even if they put some at the beginning and the middle of the road,” she said.
Another resident, Stanley Padayachee, said the road was also used by trucks and taxis and needed speed humps. He said the community had been calling for speed humps on this road since May.
“We live on this road. The next accident could see the car land inside our yards. We need these speed humps.”
Municipal spokesperson Msawakhe Mayisela said residents could still send a request to the city.
“The road will be assessed in terms of council policy. Requests can only be supported if the requirements in terms of policy are satisfied,” he said.
Residents told the Daily News that the recent accident on this road was the fifth or sixth this year.
Mayisela said an accident analysis of Simla Road from January to date reflected two fatal crashes.
“The first fatal crash was at the intersection of Simla Road and Himalayas Road.
“We’re awaiting the accident report for the second fatal crash. It’s been logged on the SAPS fatal crash listing but the accident report has not been forwarded to our branch. In 2018, only one accident was reported on Simla Road between Himalayas Road and Punjab Circle,” he said.
Mayisela said that when there was a fatal crash, the accident report went into the docket and the road safety branch did not receive it timeously.
DA ward councillor Sithembiso Ngema said he would request a detailed report from the city on why the road did not meet the requirements for speed humps.
“How many people must die on this road for them to realise the problem?” he asked.