The elderly residents of Woodside Village retirement community in Rondebosch feel unsafe leaving their homes because of a busy intersection close to their doorsteps.
Woodside Village residents say they have asked the City for traffic-calming measures at the Norton Way and Milner Road intersection because there have been several accidents there.
Woodside Village resident Mike Donelly said he had been edging forward in his car, from Norton Way, last month when a speeding car coming up Milner Road hit the front of his vehicle at the intersection. Neither driver was injured.
“I have driven through this intersection on many occasions, as I’ve lived at Woodside Village for ten years. I have always felt uneasy at this section, and this time an accident took place in such a flash, when I didn’t see any car coming my way” Mr Donelly said.
“Speed humps could help with slowing down vehicles in Milner Road, although I am not the one to decide what can be done, it is, however, so important that the City acknowledges this intersection and makes some type of changes to make it safer.”
Another Woodside Village resident, Ken Andrew, said he had seen some close shaves at the intersection during his 18 months in the community.
“There has to be some type of physical intervention at the intersection. Milner Road is a busy arterial road, and one needs to be reasonable with the traffic safety in this area. It’s important to recognise the seriousness of the problem in order for experts to find the best solution.”
He said Woodside Village management had complained to the City about the intersection in 2016. The City had inspected the intersection and had made some minimal changes, including creating two parking coves, but nothing that had made the intersection safer, he said.
Quintin Mulwitsky, from Woodside Village management, said the parking coves had made it harder to see traffic on Milner Road when coming out of Norton Way.
Ward councillor Sharon Cottle said physical traffic-calming measures were not appropriate for Milnerton Road, a “Class 3 arterial” route used by public transport and emergency services. On such routes, law enforcement was used to prevent speeding.
The intersection at Norton Way, she said, had been assessed previously but found to not meet the requirement for traffic signals.
“There is a speed limit of 60km/h, and it is recommended that speed is regulated through enforcement,” she said.
While Milner Road had broad verges with good visibility over a distance, that also, unfortunately, gave ignorant motorists confidence in travelling at higher speeds, she said.
“The concerns of Rondebosch residents and all previous complaints have been referred to Traffic Services for enforcement purposes,” she said.
“To create more peace of mind for elderly residents coming from Woodside Village, who drive and have to turn into Milner Road, there is a road-marking-and-speed-control-signage plan for portions of the road, which should help visually to caution motorists.”
There was also a plan to move the Milner Road pedestrian crossing, which is 50m down from Norton Way, closer to Norton Way, she said.
