POLOKO TAU
MEADOWLANDS residents have agreed to clear a barricaded street where a young boy was killed by a speeding car after the City of Johannesburg undertook to address their grievances.
But they are not likely to get speed humps because the council said they have not been effective in other areas.
Member of the mayoral committee for transport Rehana Moosajee said yesterday that five possible options and their pros and cons would be presented to residents by Friday.
Moosajee intervened after residents of Meadowlands Zone 7 barricaded Lekankagata Street and demanded that the council erect speed humps to slow down speeding cars.
This was after Tshepang Mokoena, 6, was killed by a car on Wednesday. The boy was on the pavement when the car hit him and dragged him about 50 metres.
The driver, a man from Tshepang’s neighbourhood, was arrested but released on free bail, although he was allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol.
Moosajee said an agreement was reached after a meeting between the Department of Transport, Johannesburg Roads Agency and residents on Friday.
She said they explained to residents that although speed humps were a speeding deterrent, they had not proved to be effective.
“We’ve had incidents in which children were killed on speed humps or have motorists diverting to other streets whenever a speed hump is erected on a particular street. Speed humps are engineering solutions, and no engineering solution on its own will solve poor driver behaviour,” Moosajee added.
“We’ve agreed with residents that we need to do more than just speed humps, and for the time being, three stop signs have been put up in the street.
“We’ll go back to them by Friday with five scenarios and their pros and cons, so that whatever solution we find is in consultation with the community.”
Moosajee said the highest number of petitions in the city were requests for speed humps.
“We have done a lot over a period of time but not enough, and in memory of Tshepang we’ll redouble our effort. We’re working on a comprehensive solution for the city looking at three components of road safety, which are education, enforcement and engineering. Speed humps are only part of the solution.”
Community leader Patrick Mohlophegi said residents had welcomed interventions by the council. “Residents agreed that the streets will be cleaned and opened for traffic while work on a possible solution continues,” he said.
Mohlophegi, however, said residents were unhappy that the driver of the car that hit Tshepang had been released on free bail.
“The child had been on the pavement when he was hit and was dragged several metres before the motorist stopped. We feel the injustice in that he was released before the child was buried,” he said.
Tshepang was buried on Sunday, and Moosajee attended. She said counselling had since been organised for the children after Tshepang’s mother asked her to “please organise counselling for the children who watched my son die”.
Moosajee also said she was “concerned that the perpetrator had reportedly been released apparently on free bail”.
“A life has been lost here and the justice system must work in the interest of justice,” she said.