It took the gruesome death of a woman motorist before eThekwini council officials announced that steps would be taken to stop heavy trucks travelling along Bluff Road.
But the promised crackdown failed to stop huge trucks from using the road this week. Several times during the week trucks were photographed travelling on the suburban road.
Trucks weighing more than nine tons are prohibited from operating on the busy stretch. However, many drivers ignore the signs.
Residents have been calling for intervention, but despite petitions, letters and a council motion, nothing had been done until Elaine Thomas, 40, was killed last Saturday.
Witnesses said a truck travelling at high speed allegedly skipped a traffic light and crashed into Thomas's car on the corner of Old Mission and Bluff roads.
The truck, still dragging the car, crashed into three other vehicles, two concrete street poles and a fire hydrant. It finally came to a stop on railway tracks when it hit a fence in Doon Road.
Bluff residents were outraged by the accident they said had been waiting to happen.
On Saturday Metro Police were stationed at the intersection of Edwin Swales Drive and Bluff Road.
Ward councillor Duncan du Bois said a speedy resolution to the menace was overdue.
At a meeting of the eThekwini council on January 31 last year, a motion was tabled calling for intervention on the issue of container trucks using Edwin Swales VC Drive and Bluff Road, he said.
"We asked how many fatalities would need to occur before the eThekwini Transport Authority addressed the issue."
The motion was turned down. In 2006 more than 1 700 Bluff residents signed a petition demanding action.
The ANC also turned down a suggestion by IFP Councillor Peter Pepler on the management of container traffic in greater Durban.
He suggested land be set aside at Cato Ridge for a dry port at which all containers bound for the port would be unloaded and forwarded by rail into the harbour area.
Harry Etheridge, of the Bluff Enviro Team (BET), said they demanded accountability for incompetence and for officials to be charged with dereliction of duty, and even culpable homicide, for their failure to deal effectively with the trucking issue, poor infrastructure and inadequate policing.
In swift reaction to last week's fatality, Metro Police in Durban South announced that police would be stationed at entrances to Bluff Road for a two-week trial period.
Newly-appointed unit head, director Vincent Ngubane, said the Metro Police knew about an increase of traffic, but were not aware of the extent.
"There has been an increase in traffic from the ports. Truck drivers getting impatient or wanting to avoid the weighbridge make use of Bluff Road. Because of the accident, we realised the problem was bigger than we thought," he said.
For the next two weeks members would be deployed to monitor the situation, he said.
"We will then review our strategy," Ngubane said.
Metro Police also inspected the area and found other roads without signs prohibiting heavy trucks.
Superintendent Eddie von Bargen of the Metro Police said the city's transport authorities were informed of this.
Von Bargen said other affected areas included Montclair, Chatsworth, Clairwood and Merewent. Despite the signs, he said, trucks still operated in these areas.
This week heavy trucks, some travelling at high speed, continued to use the road and there was little evidence of action by the Metro Police.
A Durban Central policeman who lives on the Bluff said he pulled a truck over this week.
"There may have been fewer trucks, but they still use the road. I was booked off sick, but pulled one of the trucks off the road," said Captain Dirk Swarts.
Du Bois said two weeks were not enough to address the situation and he would put another motion before council on August 28.
The motion would call on the executive committee to investigate and report back by September 23 on the feasibility of two height restriction structures on Bluff Road - one near the intersection with Edwin Swales VC Drive and the other near the Iran Road/Bayhead intersection.
A mass meeting is scheduled for 7pm on Thursday, August 21, at the Bluff Golf Club. City officials, including city manager Michael Sutcliffe, have been invited to attend.
"We have tried all routes - public meetings, petitions. Now it is time for people to have their say," Du Bois said.
The truck driver involved in the Bluff Road accident is under police guard in intensive care. Police have asked anyone who witnessed the accident to contact Inspector Joanna Baldeo at 031 451 8025 or 084 444 6756.