What is traffic like in Centurion?

Foxhound5366

Foxhound5366

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If you're familiar with Centurion, how would you rate the traffic situation within Centurion during peak times (morning/late afternoon)?

I'll be moving to a new job in Centurion and I'm planning to move as close to work as possible to cut out a lot of the traffic delay. I'd really value some insider info into which roads in Centurion (Centurion East specifically) are the worst, and (bonus info) if there are any suburbs which are best to stay in for a smooth ride to work.

Thanks in advance :)
 
It's a p. big town, traffic will depend on where you work and stay. Some parts (especially the older parts closer to Pta) are very quiet, others (for example anything that involves driving on or crossing Old Jhb Road or John Vorster) are a cluster****.
 
Tough one. Where is work about and at what times do you need to be at work? That should give us an idea of what suburbs to recommend.
 
Stay on the side you work in.. If you work CBD side, stay Centurion East.. Crossing over Old Jhb Road via/at Nelmapius (if you stay Centurion West) eg can take 30-90min pending traffic peak and construction times. I remember before construction it use to be 15min from there to Eco Park..

Then u get places where traffic is due to volume and lack of options and people being arseholes just because, typical as you find more north of Midrand you go. Eg I stay in Amberfield near Mall@Reds.. Heading out of that area between 6am and 8am = disaster.. Hell crossing the N14 is a nightmare as people don't stick to lanes and try and force merge in the last 100m at panarama.
 
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Yeah, I think I did say up there that I'm going to be working in Centurion East specifically ... close to Southdowns Estate, off John Vorster Drive, if that adds any value. Grubscrew, work is from 08:00 to 17:00 ... whatever happened to the days of that song, 'Working 9 to 5'? :D

Thanks for the heads-up Krycor, I had actually been wondering whether I should cut Centurion West out of my residential search, and based on a 30-90 minute delay I'll say hell yes!

Seeing as you mentioned Eco Park, do you mind explaining what Eco Park is? I've seen a stack of different sort of complexes all claiming to be in Eco Park, so I'm assuming that it's some sort of residential estate, only I don't know if it'd be worth trying to find a place there? Could be my most convenient bet, but I don't know about safety.
 
Foxhound5366 said:
Yeah, I think I did say up there that I'm going to be working in Centurion East specifically ... close to Southdowns Estate, off John Vorster Drive, if that adds any value. Grubscrew, work is from 08:00 to 17:00 ... whatever happened to the days of that song, 'Working 9 to 5'? :D

Thanks for the heads-up Krycor, I had actually been wondering whether I should cut Centurion West out of my residential search, and based on a 30-90 minute delay I'll say hell yes!

Seeing as you mentioned Eco Park, do you mind explaining what Eco Park is? I've seen a stack of different sort of complexes all claiming to be in Eco Park, so I'm assuming that it's some sort of residential estate, only I don't know if it'd be worth trying to find a place there? Could be my most convenient bet, but I don't know about safety.
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There are a few complexes in Eco Park Estate. But there are flat blocks around it that also says Eco park, so it might be the area adjacent to Technopark.

Eco park/Highveld should suit you well distance wise. Centurion as a whole is quite safe. Rent is around R7000 there for a 2 bedroom place. Don't know what the buying prices are though.

There are a few estates Southdowns/Midstream there if you looking at the higher end of the market as well.

You want to buy or rent?
And how big do you want to go?

Rooihuiskraal should still be an option, traffic is only bad now because of construction, but that should clear soon
 
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phoneJunky said:
There are a few complexes in Eco Park Estate. But there are flat blocks around it that also says Eco park, so it might be the area adjacent to Technopark.

Eco park/Highveld should suit you well distance wise. Centurion as a whole is quite safe. Rent is around R7000 there for a 2 bedroom place. Don't know what the buying prices are though.

There are a few estates Southdowns/Midstream there if you looking at the higher end of the market as well.

You want to buy or rent?
And how big do you want to go?

Rooihuiskraal should still be an option, traffic is only bad now because of construction, but that should clear soon
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Thanks for the detailed info! I'm actually looking at those two bedroom places in Eco Park, and was hoping for a bit cheaper if possible ... around R6 000 - R6 400, for a one bedroom anyway. Just rental, not ready to buy yet. Also haven't won the lottery, so the golf estates in the area are also on hold for now! :)
 
Eco Park, die hoewes, Lyttelton, Doringkloof and maybe Pierre van Ryneveld if you come in past the airforce Base. The new M&T rental units outside eco Park ''proper'' are going for R6200.

If you are willing to travel in from Samrand Road there are 1 bedroom units going for about R5000 in Summerfields Estate.
 
Grubscrew said:
Eco Park, die hoewes, Lyttelton, Doringkloof and maybe Pierre van Ryneveld if you come in past the airforce Base. The new M&T rental units outside eco Park ''proper'' are going for R6200.

If you are willing to travel in from Samrand Road there are 1 bedroom units going for about R5000 in Summerfields Estate.
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Erm, is it just me or do Die Hoewes look a bit rough? My frame of reference for 'nice' apartments are the generic sort of complexes in Johannesburg North ... you know, something with a little personality, and at least a guardhouse at the front for (token) peace of mind. Die Hoewes just looks like one huge mega-complex you'd disappear into.

There's a fine line between paying for something reasonably comfortable and then just paying extra for a bit of extra polish on the bathroom taps ... problem is, it's really hard to judge that line from the outside, and I'm not going to be able to view the apartment before signing the contract for it. All advice here is great :)

PS: Sorry for discussing accommodation in the motoring thread lol, the two just are a bit related here.
 
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Foxhound5366 said:
If you're familiar with Centurion, how would you rate the traffic situation within Centurion during peak times (morning/late afternoon)?

I'll be moving to a new job in Centurion and I'm planning to move as close to work as possible to cut out a lot of the traffic delay. I'd really value some insider info into which roads in Centurion (Centurion East specifically) are the worst, and (bonus info) if there are any suburbs which are best to stay in for a smooth ride to work.

Thanks in advance :)
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Centurion is divided into two parts one by the N1 / N14 (east and west) with limited ways to cross it. If you stay west of the N14 and have to travel east then good luck, you are sitting in traffic trying to cross the N14 \ N1. In certain areas it can be up to 45 minutes due to the limited routes (Lenchen, Hendrik Verwoerd, Lyttelton, Nelmapius, Trichard) . East of the N14 (older areas) traffic is lighter way way easier to negotiate. From experience travelling to Techno Park from the east is way easier from the east.
 
Blu82 said:
Centurion is divided into two parts one by the N1 / N14 (east and west) with limited ways to cross it. If you stay west of the N14 and have to travel east then good luck, you are sitting in traffic trying to cross the N14 \ N1. In certain areas it can be up to 45 minutes due to the limited routes (Lenchen, Hendrik Verwoerd, Lyttelton, Nelmapius, Trichard) . East of the N14 (older areas) traffic is lighter way way easier to negotiate. From experience travelling to Techno Park from the east is way easier from the east.
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Ok got it Blu, stay to the East if you work in the East, thanks! I checked out the Eco Park Estate website, pretty amazed that there are 16 complexes in there ... should easily be able to find one apartment, and it seems like the best pick of the bunch thanks to the shared facilities (Tennis Courts ftw!)
 
Foxhound5366 said:
Ok got it Blu, stay to the East if you work in the East, thanks! I checked out the Eco Park Estate website, pretty amazed that there are 16 complexes in there ... should easily be able to find one apartment, and it seems like the best pick of the bunch thanks to the shared facilities (Tennis Courts ftw!)
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I would recommend the Highveld area over Eco park if I had to choose. And whatever you do, do not buy there to live there. The developers did things like building under live power lines which is technically a no no.
 
Blu82 said:
I would recommend the Highveld area over Eco park if I had to choose. And whatever you do, do not buy there to live there. The developers did things like building under live power lines which is technically a no no.
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Hmm, there don't seem to be nearly as many apartments being advertised in Highveld though? I agree that some of the independent complexes in Eco Park look a bit sketchy, but those within the Eco Park Estate itself look ok ... haven't seen anything like that in Highveld, but maybe it's just because they're not being advertised yet. Do you mind if I ask why you prefer Highveld? Any better public infrastructure (e.g. parks), better security or just a quieter neighbourhood?
 
Foxhound5366 said:
Ok got it Blu, stay to the East if you work in the East, thanks! I checked out the Eco Park Estate website, pretty amazed that there are 16 complexes in there ... should easily be able to find one apartment, and it seems like the best pick of the bunch thanks to the shared facilities (Tennis Courts ftw!)
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I'm in Eco Park Estate and it is pretty safe. I've left my sliding door and sometimes front door unlocked (have safety gate which is closed) when going to sleep as I've forgot to lock it. Its double security with the estate security and your respective complex security.

Only two bedroom apartments available but you could get one within your budget as I've got one below your budget. Just make sure when looking online that the apartments you looking at is within Eco Park Estate as they building new apartments which looks like a hospital which is called Eco Park East on Private Property or P24. I don't know why the municipality allowed these complex to be built as its not how other complex look within the area.

Highveld is also an option to have a look at as you could get an apartment within your budget perhaps.

Regarding the traffic. From Eco Park you beat most of the traffic. I'm 2km from work so takes me less than 5 min to get to work and I leave at 7am. To Southdowns it should take you probably 10min if not quicker from Eco Park regardless of what time you leave as we go for Breakfast to Southdowns at times and never in traffic.
 
Nice one, thanks Charlie21 :) That's exactly the sort of first-hand info I really needed. I think the issue that's nailing me with the rentals at the moment is that all the apartments that had been within my budget have just been increased by 10% as they've gone back onto the market, but I'll keep hunting in the area!
 
Well from my perspective, rental in Centurion West (Rooihuiskraal, Amberfield, WerdaPark, EldoGlen etc) is relatively cheaper than the West in part due to the location being a bit out of the way. Currently I pay R5.5k for a 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom & Garage and thats about within the region you looking at there.

If you work south of Centurion then it's not that bad granted you need to be out of the area by 6am which is no different than staying in Pretoria.. but the advantage these days is that e.g. Mall@Reds & Raslow Centre combined = little need to leave the area day-to-day. So if you decide to stay this side.. best to be close to it and on the Gautrain bus route (helped many times).

Now I see someone mentioned Nelmapius crossing of Old Jhb is not that bad prior to construction (I reckon 3-6 months left depending how much construction company delays) but really it was always a minimum of 10 min delay there due to traffic on Old Jhb heading south via N1 . Heading back in the evening was always a 30min delay but this hopefully will be reduced to 20min due to the direct link to Old Jhb & N1 (thats why there is construction). Only 10 min reduction? Yes.. the volume of vehicles heading into the area is insane. So provided u can live with it, you can easily save 1-1.5k in rentals.

Internet wise ADSL seems to be limited to 4Mbps with surrounding areas getting VDSL & Fiber roll out. Btw.. don;t stay south west of the N14.. i.e. Thatchfield, Monovani etc.. yes routes are easier for heading south via R55 and access to N14 but remember that thats what i consider frontier estates, i.e. suffer break-inns due to being on the edge of suburbia neighbouring informal settlements down the road. Also heard their internet sucks.

Rooihuiskraal area, this would be between Panarama, Roihuiskraal road and old Jhb seems to be ok, shopping centres are inside there i was surprised by this.. so not sure on day-to-day living but seems decent area though these are more houses so doubt a lot of rentals.

EcoPark & Highveld is the Northern Sandton (Sunninghill/Rivonia) side of Centurion where people are more likely to be renting and moving around. This place gets icy in winter because well.. what do you expect living in a wetland (EcoPark). Prices are a bit higher than I expect for Centurion due to this nature so i've never really seen the value as units are generally 10% more expensive than Northern Sandton. Highveld side, parts close to Nelmapius / open veld, experience more break-inns so keep an eye out for that. There is a bit of redevelopment going on in the Centurion CBD parts like Die Hoewes, SwartKop where apartments are very old. You basically pay premium here for location being close to Gautrain etc which sucks from a value for money point of view in terms of rentals. Pierre van Ryneveld side has telecoms issues so ADSL may be a problem fyi and I reckon routes are limited much like the west as this is going far east. I suspect rentals are cheaper here but i dunno.. I've stayed at current place for 3.5 yrs and moving back to northern Sandton in 1.5 months time..

Added:

South West - South of Rooihuiskraal is also something to consider but i'd say its a crappy from a day-to-day living perspective as the main decent mall is Amberfield side.. Blue Valley Mall is about as depressing as they come hahaha and if you want to go to gym u need it 1-2km from you else its like an effort which gets put on the back burner. Again Frontier Estates so break-inns and you have to deal with the crowd of people who think they better than everyone the further south you move closer to Midrand living in Golf estates behind Samrand who drive worse than drunk drivers in their beamers.. meh, don't do it.
 
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Much better than Randburg but that's not saying much. But it can still be bad, depending on your direction of travel.

I.e. coming from Rooihuiskraal to Centurion mall's side after 07:00, and the opposite after 15:30, is a nightmare. However I travel in a quite opposite direction - Esdoring (Witch Hazel) to Jean, and in the morning it takes me 10-12 minutes, which is not bad. The afternoons are a bugger up 50% of the time, though, as Witch Hazel is only 1 lane with a ****load of office complexes, and everyone tries to get into Witch Hazel at once, and John Vorster is slow, mounting the traffic up more and more. Then again, some days it's just randomly open and you can drive freely and still travel only 10 minutes.

But I'll never live in Joburg again - this is definitely much better than there.
 
Foxhound5366 said:
Nice one, thanks Charlie21 :) That's exactly the sort of first-hand info I really needed. I think the issue that's nailing me with the rentals at the moment is that all the apartments that had been within my budget have just been increased by 10% as they've gone back onto the market, but I'll keep hunting in the area!
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Yeah but you could possibly get a gelukkie as I did when I was looking.

krycor said:
Well from my perspective......
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When I was looking for apartments in Centurion I looked at the rooihuiskraal/amberfield area but the traffic getting out of there in the mornings just didn't justify the move although the area is quite nice. Having to leave before 6am to beat the traffic is kinda pointless to move close to work. You should be able to beat the traffic regardless of what time you leave.

Also centurion mall is about 5km from Eco Park and there's no problem getting to the mall after work at 4pm-4h30pm.

Another good thing about Eco Park Estate is that Eco Boulevard is opposite the road (walking distance - couple of hundred metres) which has a checkers and virgin active so you can pop in to do your daily or weekly shopping.
 
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