Newcastle’s High-Accident Intersections and What Residents Want Done

Repeated collisions at several of Newcastle’s busiest intersections have raised growing concern among residents, emergency responders and traffic officials, with reckless driving, limited enforcement and driver impatience being identified as the main factors behind many of the incidents.

While poor road markings, potholes and traffic design remain part of the wider discussion, those who deal with the consequences of these crashes say the problem is increasingly being driven by motorists who ignore traffic laws, push through changing lights, speed through intersections or take chances in heavy traffic.

To better understand where the risks are most visible, Newcastillian News engaged with local paramedics, traffic officers and residents who frequently travel through or work near some of the town’s busiest intersections.

Their accounts point to several recurring accident hotspots, including Victoria Road and Impala Drive, Allen Street and Drakensberg Drive, Kirkland Street and Allen Street, Drakensberg Drive and Allen Street, Allen Street and Hardwick Street, and the N11 and Albert Wessels Drive intersection.

A local traffic officer, who requested anonymity, identified Allen Street and Hardwick Street, as well as Allen Street and Drakensberg Drive, as two of the more problematic intersections in town. According to the officer, these areas are not only prone to frequent incidents but are also linked to more serious collisions.

“Traffic officers have noted that these intersections are two of the most problematic intersections in town. At these two intersections, motorists show little regard to the law, some ignoring the orange traffic lights totally, or simply trying to take a chance and shoot across the intersection as the lights change before other traffic starts moving, and this leads to serious collisions,” he explained.

The officer added that heavy traffic volumes at these intersections further increase the risk, especially during peak morning and afternoon periods when motorists are often impatient and traffic flow is under pressure.

Building on this, Charles Steyn from Magenta Emergency Medical Sector agreed that driver behaviour remains one of the leading concerns. He also identified the N11 and Albert Wessels Drive intersection, along with the widely recognised Victoria Road and Impala Drive junction, as among the areas where collisions are frequently seen.

“A lot of motorists in Newcastle have this mindset where they will take a chance and push it, expecting other motorists simply to move out of their way when they cross intersections in town. However, what motorists need to realise is that this opens the door to a lot of potential legal issues. If a pedestrian is crossing the road at the intersection and a person takes a chance, the pedestrian can be caught between two vehicles. The thing with this is, if the pedestrian gets hit by the vehicle or gets stuck between the vehicles, or even if the other motorist dies or is injured, the offending motorist can potentially face murder or attempted murder charges, as they planned to ignore the intersection and go over,” Steyn emphasised.

Although infrastructure problems cannot be ignored, Steyn said many of the collisions being seen are linked more directly to negligent driving than to road conditions alone. He said the lack of CCTV coverage at key intersections also makes accountability more difficult.

“If we have cameras at the various intersections, law enforcement can begin holding motorists accountable, as motorists in Newcastle no longer seem to care about the traffic laws,” he said.

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For residents working near these intersections, the concern is not theoretical.

Andrea de Bruyn and Kimentha Dhaver, who work at DHL on Victoria Road, said the Victoria Road and Impala Drive intersection stands out as one of the most troubling based on what they have witnessed.

“At one stage, there was a collision every other day and basically every week,” said Andrea.

Dhaver said many of the incidents appear to involve motorists turning onto Victoria Road without properly checking for oncoming traffic. She believes a dedicated traffic light arrow could help reduce the number of collisions by forcing drivers to wait before turning.

“A traffic light with an arrow at the Victoria and Impala Drive would help decrease the collisions, so motorists are forced to wait. However, there have been incident where people have swerved potholes at intersections and have landed up having a collision, so pothole repairs are also important,” stressed Dhaver.

A business owner on Gemsbok Avenue, who asked not to be named, said the problem is not limited to one or two intersections. Travelling regularly between Lennoxton and Hutten Heights, he said poor driving behaviour has become a daily frustration.

“Every single intersection in town is a problem, people no longer care about the traffic laws or anyone else, they just drive, and think if they put their hazards on it is okay,” he said.

He added that while clearer road markings, signage and infrastructure improvements would help, the larger issue is the lack of visible enforcement.

“What we need is proper law enforcement, and more traffic officers in town. The traffic officers are usually not to be seen or they just sit in their cars”.

Dhaver also pointed to the recent long weekend, saying she witnessed four near-miss incidents near the showgrounds during the Winter Festival, which she linked to limited visibility of traffic officials in the area.

Adding to this, several residents who spoke to various team members of Newcastillian News over a period of time raised similar suggestions for these problematic intersections.

Along with dedicated turning arrows, one of the most common and cost-effective proposals was to convert certain high-risk intersections into four-way stops or traffic circles. Residents also suggested that speed humps near these intersections could help force motorists to slow down, reducing the likelihood of serious collisions caused by speeding, impatience and reckless driving.

With residents calling for stronger enforcement, practical upgrades and greater accountability at high-risk intersections, Newcastillian News approached the Newcastle Municipality for comment on current and planned interventions, including possible measures to reduce collisions and improve traffic manpower.

However, no response had been received by the time of publication.

The local traffic officer did, however, indicate that authorities are in the process of developing strategies aimed at taking firmer action against motorists who disregard traffic laws and place others at risk.

For now, the accounts gathered suggest that Newcastle’s intersection problem is being shaped by a combination of elements.

Potholes, road markings and traffic light design remain part of the issue, but the repeated reference to speeding, impatience and disregard for traffic signals points to a deeper problem on the roads.

Sadly, the absence of a municipal response also leaves residents without clarity on what specific interventions may be introduced, when they could be implemented, and how high-risk intersections will be prioritised.

Until visible enforcement improves and practical upgrades are made where needed, these intersections are likely to remain costly pressure points on Newcastle’s road network.

For motorists, the warning is equally clear: taking a chance at a traffic light or forcing a gap through an intersection may save only seconds, but the consequences can be life-changing.

What are your thoughts on this and what are your suggestions around this problem? Let us know below.

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