A few months ago seven speed humps were installed on Warrior Road in Hillcrest, one between Old Main Road and Delamore Road, two between Delamore Road and Shongweni Road and four from Shongweni Road to the cul-de-sac.
“I only found out about these speed humps when I received a call from a journalist asking me what I knew about them,” said Ward Councillor Rick Crouch. When Cllr Crouch made the relevant enquiries of eThekwini Traffic Authority he was told that the department was busy and forgot to notify him as is required.
“It seemed strange to me that someone would have just woken up one day and said, ‘Let’s see if Warrior Road in Hillcrest needs speed humps’, and after pressing them further they let slip that they had received one email requesting the speed humps.”
“I have been requesting a copy of that email for a number of weeks now and they have refused to give it to me saying that I am not entitled to it. The run around I have been getting makes me suspect that there is a cover-up and someone got preferential treatment,” said Cllr Crouch.
“The department should get buy-in from the community before installing speed humps on category 5 roads. It is not good enough that one person requests them. They are expensive at R10,000 each and the majority of the residents on the road may not want them,” said Cllr Crouch.
“Until I receive a copy of the email that requested these particular speed humps my assumption is going to be that someone got preferential treatment and there is a cover-up.”
Anyone who has requested traffic calming on their particular road knows how difficult it is, the most common reasons given by the department for not installing them are: there is no budget or there is no warrant. So just how were these approved and installed almost overnight?
“If the majority of the residents want them and they comply with policy, I have no problem with the money being spent. I may be proven wrong, but I don’t think that was the case here,” said Cllr Crouch.
Contact Councillor Rick Crouch on 073 418 6996 or councillor@ward10.co.za