SNAKE ROAD: Roads department grappling with options

It seems that the Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport has made an about-turn regarding the repair and replacement of traffic lights on Snake Road.

In October, the Benoni City Times reported that the automated traffic signals at seven intersections, from Dewald Hattingh Road to Golden Drive were rendered non-functional due to theft and vandalism.

At the time, Mackenzie Park resident Melanie Kruger said, that the masts were cut at the base by fiends using what seems to be grinders.

“The units are stripped bare so it is reasonable to believe that the culprits are cable thieves,” she said.

“This can only be described as an ‘attack’ on the area’s infrastructure resulting in traffic gridlock on one of the city’s major arterial roads.”

Decommission
On November 13 the office for the MEC for Roads and Transport, Kedibone Diale Tlabela, responded to a media enquiry stating that following an inspection of the road, which falls under the province’s ownership, it was indeed found that nearly all of the signals had been vandalised.

“Because of its remoteness and constant vandalism, these intersections might require the department to temporarily decommission the current traffic control measures and opt for stop junctions,” read the statement.

However, on November 14, Ward 73 Clr Sipho Ngobese posted on the Mackenzie Park WhatsApp group that a decision had been taken to replace the traffic lights at the major intersections on Snake Road in an effort to ease congestion and prompt the flow of traffic.

Ekurhuleni metro spokesperson Zweli Dlamini confirmed the information is correct and factual but said that the department had not issued further directives.

The City Times once again visited the road on April 3 and found that large stop signs have been erected at the affected intersections.

Meeting up with the City Times at Main Reef Road, Mckenzie Park resident Aizo Jossup Labassi said the newly implemented measures have done little to ease congestion.

“It is a death trap,” she said, leaning against the towering stop sign.

“Motorists merely ignore these. They speed through the intersections not even slowing down to a yield.

“Every day you can hear screeching tyres, followed by loud bangs as yet another accident occurs. Surely this is not the solution?”

Peak hours
EMPD spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Kelebogile Thepa confirmed that an increase of accidents has been recorded since March last year but was unable to share its latest statistics.

“Traffic wardens have been assigned to major intersections during peak hours, from 06:45 to 08:00 and again from 16:00 to 18:00, to conduct point duty,” said Thepa.

“However, the onus of adhering to the rules of the road and maintaining road safety rests with each and every motorist.”

Once again commenting on how the department will be addressing the matter and whether the traffic signals will be replaced in the near future, the MEC’s office stated that an estimated R7m is needed.

“It must be noted that the current traffic signals have not been decommissioned and that stop signs were erected as a temporary measure,” it read.

“We are presently exploring the possibility of using aluminium cables instead of copper, but viability thereof has not yet been established.”

Street lights
Trudging across the overgrown middle island, Labassi stops at a downed street light lying in the grass like a fallen soldier.

“Criminals have successfully stolen our traffic lights and now they have their sights set on the street lights,” she said.

“They don’t care how these masts fall nor do they spare a thought to dangers that motorists face driving down this dark road now riddled with stop signs.

“We are taxed and levied to the hilt yet this criminality and its impact on residents is not being addressed.

“The council expects us to be satisfied with them merely slapping a band-aid on the problem.”

Dlamini further said that law enforcement agencies, including the Benoni CPF, private security companies, local police and EMPD, have been tasked to conduct routine patrols to identify potential loss of infrastructure but did not elaborate on the CoE’s plans to curb vandalism thereof.

ALSO READ: UPDATE: Snake Road robots to be replaced with stop signs

ALSO READ: FOLLOW-UP:Snake Road robots to be replaced