New bid to end accidents on Soweto’s Koma Road

24 October 2016

 

City of Johannesburg Member of the Mayoral Committee for Transport Cllr Nonhlanhla Makhuba, Gauteng MEC for Transport Ismail Vadi, City councillors and representatives of taxi associations and non-governmental, community and civic organisations have pledged to lead by example by abiding by the rules of the road at all times.

 

The pledge was signed during a consultative meeting at the Jabulani Civic Centre in Soweto, in the City’s Region D, as part of Transport Month activities on Saturday October 22.

The signing of the pledge was, in part, in response to a spate of vehicle accidents that take place on Koma Road in Jabulani every year. With 385 accidents reported on the stretch of road in the past financial year alone, it had become extremely urgent that all stakeholders came together to do something to bring the carnage.

The stakeholders at the consultative meeting included local school principals, church leaders, businesspeople, civic organisations and officials of the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department and the Johannesburg Roads Agency.

Cllr Makhuba said consultation was important as it enabled the City to listen to the community’s concerns and inputs and take action. She urged the community to work hand in hand with the City to look after the transport infrastructure, which she said was crucial for the growth of the economy.

MEC Vadi said road users needed to change their attitude and behaviour on the road. He said the City and the Provincial Government had to use a carrot-and-stick approach to make headway in changing the behaviour of drivers and other road users on road safety, vandalism and theft of infrastructure.

“We need to do it for the sake of our children and the next generation,” he said.

JMPD Region D Commander Patrick Jaca asked the community to help police officers to bring down the rate of accidents on Koma Road. He urged them to report any acts of corruption and road infringements to his office.

Zebulon Simelane, Public Relations Officer of the Dobsonville-Roodepoort-Leratong-Johannesburg Taxi Association, said it was important for motorists, taxi drivers and other road users to respect each other to avoid accidents, which he said were caused by negligence and a lack of tolerance.

Michael Magabutlane of the Koma Road Residents Committee called for the erection of traffic circles and rumble stripes to slow down speeding motorists.

Phumlani Khanyile of the South African National Civic Organisation attributed the high rate of accidents on Koma Road to congestion during peak hours.

Part of the pledge reads: “I abide by this pledge that I will never take or make calls or text when driving. I will minimise the amount [of time] I drive, or not drive at all. I will get [by] by walking, cycling or using public transport as much as possible ...”