Speeding crisis in Umhlanga: residents ready to fund their own solution

FRUSTRATED by dangerous driving and loud noise disturbances, Umhlanga residents are offering to pay up to R60,000 per speed hump to improve safety on their roads after months of unanswered pleas to the municipality.

Residents said they were at their wits’ end and would dig into their own pockets to improve road safety.

They claimed these incidents were most common over weekends and often continued into the early hours of the morning and included high-speed driving, revving engines, burnouts and donuts, creating dangerous conditions for pedestrians and motorists.

Enrico Manfron, a Marine Drive resident and member of Park to Park, a community organisation made up of 25 Umhlanga residents, said the situation had become unbearable. He said this group was formed specifically to address the growing problem of speeding in the area.

“We are fed up with the speeding on our roads. It has become difficult just to leave our driveways safely,” said Manfron.

He said they believed the most effective solution would be the installation of additional speed humps, particularly along Marine Drive. 

“We have been trying to get speed humps installed, especially in front of the beach servitude area, where we see the most speeding. It’s even hard to cross the road there. There is no speed limit, which makes it worse.

“We are desperate to get speed humps on Marine Drive - the speeding and noise levels on this road is out of control. Our preference is for table top humps as they are already on Marine Drive. Table tops should be at all servitudes anyway. Servitude between La Lucia Sands and The Dunes - this is a busy crossing and the main servitude to the beach for the road. The hill creates a blind rise, and cars speed up and down the hill causing danger for the residents exiting and entering the road,” he said.

Manfron said that residents had been working with Ward 35 councillor Bradley Singh to engage the municipality, but progress had been slow. 

“We have been emailing for two months and still have not received a response,” he said.

In a bid to fast-track the process, residents have offered to fund the speed humps themselves. Manfron said each speed hump could cost between R30 000 and R60 000, depending on the type required.

“If the municipality disagrees, it may be due to financial constraints, which is why we want to help. We understand there could be budget constraints, so the residents of the area are happy to pay for the two table top speed humps. We can even organise installation post approval. From what we understand, the tabletop speed hump, would not affect the traffic lights. It is more expensive, but we are willing to do this to protect our neighbourhood,” he said.

The group hopes the first speed hump would be installed at the bottom of Marine Drive, which they describe as the worst affected area. 

“We hope the municipality will hear our cry for help and give us permission for the speed bump,” Manfron added.

Ward 35 councillor Bradley Singh confirmed that the matter has been formally raised with the city. 

“I have notified the eThekwini Transport Authority that residents are willing to self-fund the installation of speed humps,” said Singh.

“We are currently awaiting a response regarding approval or rejection. The final decision rests on the municipality’s speed hump policy, which determines whether the request meets the required criteria.”

Residents said they remained hopeful that approval would be granted before a serious accident occurs.

The POST