For some years now the residents of Hillcrest and Plantations Estate have been requesting traffic lights at the intersection of Hospital Road and Shongweni Road in Hillcrest. This intersection is also the entrance and exit of the Plantations Estate.
Mr WJ Gorney, HEAD, Transport at KZN Department of Transport said in a letter dated 30 March 2011 that “The results of the traffic survey which we have received are indicating that the installation of the traffic signal at this intersection is marginally warranted and can now be considered.”
No one wants to accept responsibility for the installation of the traffic signals at this intersection. eThekwini Transport Authority (ETA) says the “low” number of accidents do not warrant the installation of traffic signals. The KZN Department of Transport says that the traffic volumes do marginally warrant the traffic signals but they will not pay for them because the developer of Plantations Estate had agreed, as a condition of access approval, to fund the installation of traffic signals at the intersection. The developer disagrees and says there is no documentary proof of this agreement.
“I did a little research and found the following information with regard to accidents at the intersection in question. In 2009 there were 12 accidents with 1 injury; in 2010 there were 13 accidents with 2 injuries; in 2011 there were 7 accidents with 2 injuries; in 2012 there were 9 accidents with 2 injuries and in 2013 there were 3 accidents with 1 injury,” said Councillor Rick Crouch.
“As Shongweni Road is classified as a provincial road, the responsibility of the traffic signals is with the KZN Department of Transport. Is this going to be another case of ‘tombstone legislation’ where we have to wait for a certain number of deaths before we actually do something?”
“I attempted to contact the Town Planning Department 4 times in the past 2 weeks in order to ascertain the legitimacy of the argument that the developer of Plantations Estate had agreed, as a condition of access approval, to fund the installation of traffic signals at the intersection, because they should have these documents. However, not one of my calls was responded to. The residents have been failed by a classic passing of the buck” said Councillor Crouch.