“In Nelson Mandela Bay we don’t go around them, we go over them” and “This is the last boarding call for flight Polo taking off from Gomery Avenue.”
These are only some of the comments that have been doing the rounds since videos of cars “flying” over traffic circles in the metro have been gaining hundreds of views on social media, specifically Facebook.
While there may be more, three specific incidents have caught residents’ attention on social media, especially since two of the incidents involve the same traffic circle.
Posted by the Port Elizabeth Traffic Updates group, on March 26 this year, a VW Jetta can be seen driving at a speed and hitting a very high traffic circle on the corner of Gomery Avenue and Strandfontein Road. After colliding with the circle, the car goes airborne and almost flips over before landing on its wheels on the other side of the road.
At the same circle, only a few weeks ago on October 3, a VW Polo was seriously damaged when it went airborne and hit the road with a great impact after “flying” over the traffic circle.
The third video was posted less than a week later, on October 9, and shows a luxury Mercedes-Benz colliding with the traffic circle on the corner of Walker Drive and Caledon Street in Sherwood. The vehicle only left the road slightly since this circle is not as high.
Some social media users commented that the traffic circle on the corner of Gomery Avenue and Strandfontein Road is extremely high and it could be that some motorists just could not see the markings.
During PE Express’s visit to this traffic circle, deep skid marks could be seen on two sides of the circle.
The traffic circle is also very high and the yellow line painted on the top seems almost invisible when travelling from the direction of Spar, as it almost seems to merge with the colours of NMU’s gate in the distance.
When approached for comment regarding these incidents and motorists’ complaints that they sometimes do not see the circle, MMC for Roads and Transport, Kabelo Mogatosi, said that all proper signage for motorists was erected at the time of construction.
“Traffic circles are constructed to assist with traffic flow and reduce speed; unfortunately many road users, especially at night, are not abiding by the speed limit.
“People are encouraged to obey the rules of the roads, as it could have serious negative effects on innocent citizens, albeit pedestrians or other motorists,” he said.
However, director of Traffic and Licensing in the metro, Warren Prins, said that this specific traffic circle is in fact too high and a danger to motorists if they can’t see it.
He explained that before a traffic circle is erected, a traffic impact study is done to determine the traffic density in the area, how many pedestrians use the road and how many accidents have taken place at that spot. A decision is then made to erect a traffic circle according to specific engineering specifications.
“This traffic circle is too high and was not erected according to specifications. Cat’s eyes should have been added to reflect around the circle because I have seen for myself that if you drive around the area and don’t know it, you might not see it in time and when you do see it, it is too late. I have also seen the skid marks and their depth usually tells you how great the impact was,” he said.
“I still foresee a lot of accidents happening at that circle,” he added.
According to Prins, when erecting traffic circles, the traffic department should be involved in the process but they are mostly ignored.
“The process of how things are done in the metro regarding this is shocking,” he said.
When asked if there is a reason why this circle is so high as opposed to other flat circles in the metro, Mogatosi said that the municipality has over the years improved the design of these circles and now a standard has been developed.
He referred further questions to the traffic department.
