Durban - ETHEKWINI mayor Mxolisi Kaunda says the city cannot allow trucks to use residential roads in the Bluff and other affected areas.
Kaunda was speaking yesterday at the launch of Transport Month, along with Transport MEC Bheki Ntuli, members of the bus council, the SA National Taxi Council, Prasa and other entities at uMlazi, south of Durban.
Kaunda said the city could not allow trucks to use residential roads because the traffic volumes for which they were designed did not accommodate heavy vehicles.
“We’ll talk to the department and address the issue of trucks using residential roads instead of the designated roads for heavy vehicles,” he said, adding it should also be understood that many industries were in the Bluff area.
“And those industries are also generating the economy of the city and the province. We can’t say the trucks shouldn’t operate at all, but they have to use roads that are designated for them,” said Kaunda.
Ntuli said they would use Transport Month to focus on road safety education, law enforcement at key hot spots in the province, infrastructure development, and progress assessments on key projects around the province.
Bluff ward councillor Jean-Pierre Prinsloo said he had reported the truck issue several times to the municipality and had asked for a meeting to discuss the matter, but received no response.
“We understand that there might be infrastructure problems regarding expansion of the road near the harbour, but the issue is affecting communities around the harbour. We requested a meeting with the municipality’s head of department, but no one took the time to attend to our request. We held a meeting on September 20 and only one metro police officer attended.
“We’ve created an online petition people can sign in support of stopping this. During this month’s council sitting, we’ll submit a motion in support of this issue and hand over the petition to the speaker and city manager.”
Prinsloo said he and councillors of other areas affected by the trucks issue had also contacted Economic Development MEC Nomusa Dube Ncube in desperation, but had no response.
“These trucks speed through our residential area on roads not meant for large, dangerous trucks, in an attempt to access the harbour. A steady flow of trucks can be seen daily heading down residential roads to avoid long queues and congestion along dedicated access routes to the harbour,” said Prinsloo.
Trucking Coalition Bluff representative Shanice Firmin said the mushrooming of unroadworthy trucks posed a danger on residential roads.
“The accident last Friday where a teacher was killed by an 80-ton crane is a clear indication that road users’ lives are in danger. We expect the government to listen and prioritise the health and safety of road users and communities,” she added.
Andy Rossell, who lives, in the Bluff area, said the truck problem was becoming worse. “We struggle to sleep at night. As it’s a residential area, there are children and dogs on the roads.”