Louise Wells, Sandown Road
We, the residents of Sandown Road, are urgently calling for the implementation of traffic-calming measures to address the alarming frequency of accidents and near-misses on our street.
Sandown Road, with its numerous bends and curves, has a designated speed limit of 40 km/h. Yet, despite this limit, speeding vehicles have led to serious accidents and dangerous situations for residents and visitors alike. Just recently, a severe incident took place outside number 83. I, too, have personally faced multiple near-misses when entering or exiting my property.
Further down the road, near the Copper Club, a tragic accident claimed a driver’s life a few years ago. Close to my own home, a motorcyclist lost control, colliding with a stack of bricks, resulting in a fatal impact.
My neighbour has been T-boned twice, each time resulting in a totalled vehicle. There are many hazardous T-junctions further along Sandown Road, complicated by a blind bend. In one instance, a vehicle pulling out of a junction was struck by an oncoming car, resulting in a severe collision, that was last year.
These examples are, unfortunately, not isolated cases. Sandown Road has become increasingly dangerous with the growing volume of traffic and the rise in residential occupancy. It is imperative that the council takes immediate action to enhance the safety of Sandown Road and prevent further tragedy.
How many more lives must be lost or properties damaged before this issue is addressed?
Sandown Road urgently requires immediate intervention to prevent further loss of life, property damage, and the continued endangerment of its residents. The excessive speed and increasing volume of traffic, including Golden Arrow buses, taxis, MyCiTi buses, trucks, and speeding cars have become a severe safety concern. Perhaps even more distressing is the lack of courtesy shown by many drivers, as if we, the residents, are at fault simply for attempting to enter or exit our own properties.
Despite our outreach to the traffic department to request a permanent camera to monitor speeding, we received a firm refusal. Given the alarming situation, we now call on the council to take swift action by installing speed bumps, raised intersections, or other effective traffic-calming measures to safeguard our community and restore a sense of safety and respect on Sandown Road.
Mayoral committee member for urban mobility Roberto Quintas responds:
The City has previously investigated the situation on Sandown Road and supports an intervention at the intersection of Sandown Road and Winchester Road. A calming measure will be installed at the Sandown / Winchester intersection in the 2025/26 financial year. Regrettably, this is the earliest that funding will be available.
Sandown Road is regarded as a Class 4 Local Distributor as well as a Public Transport Route (for MyCiTi, Golden Arrow buses as well as minibus taxis) and raised measures are therefore only where a significant number of vulnerable pedestrians is expected to cross in close proximity to a public amenity.
The intersection of Sandown Road and Sail Road as well as Sandown and Jenny Lane already have a traffic-calming measure in place in the form of a mini-circle and therefore would not be considered for further investigation.
The intersection of Chart Close is still under consideration at this time.
