Tempers flare and hooters scream as frustrated motorists take turns to cross the intersection of High and Great North roads, Brentwood Park.

It has been nearly a year since any of the traffic lights have shown signs of life, and motorists are fed up with dealing with daily traffic jams.

On August 20, ward 23 and 24 councillors, Gerald Goslin and Nicola da Silva, along with member of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature (MPL) Michael Waters, visited the intersection to draw attention to the provincial government’s inability to maintain and repair its broken infrastructure.

“This situation has been ignored long enough,” said Goslin, as he snaked through the increasing line of vehicles to make his way to a traffic light which seemed to have been uprooted during an accident.

“Motorists have to add an additional 40 to 50 minutes travel time to their commute in order to compensate for the increasing chaos.”

Waters explained that High Road, including the affected intersection, falls under the jurisdiction of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature, adding that maintenance, repairs and services such as pointsmen duties solely rest at its door.

“Countless requests have been submitted to Gauteng Traffic as well as the City of Ekurhuleni’s (CoE) EMPD to avail officers to assist in directing traffic, during peak hours, thus ensuring the free flow of traffic as well as road user safety,” he said.

Bureaucratic tug-of-war, however, is failing commuters and preventing essential services from being rendered.

Replying to questions submitted to the provincial legislature, member of the executive council for transport and logistics, Kedibone Diale-Tlabela, claimed ownership of the intersection under the Department of Roads and Transport.

“The repair and maintenance of the roads are ongoing activities, and the department is currently engaged in the process to appoint service providers for the maintenance of both traffic lights and roads,” read Diale-Tlabela’s reply.

“In instances where the immediate safety of motorists is at risk, the department mobilises its internal staff to attend to the emergencies on the roads.”

It states that an estimated R18m is required to address the deteriorating road surface of High Road, as well as the replacement of non-functioning traffic lights.

“The province is experiencing a maintenance backlog of R10.6b for 2025, and a further investment of R1.5b is needed from 2026 to 2034. The budget allocation to the Department of Roads and Transport has not been sufficient, and that is why the roads have deteriorated to the current extent,” read the reply.

“The department is legally obligated to keep the roads in a safe and trafficable condition; however, there is no set minimum standard that the department is legally obligated to adhere to.”

Da Silva expressed outrage at the reply, saying that road users’ lives are put in danger daily due to the Gauteng government’s lax approach to the situation.

“Accidents at this intersection occur daily. The lack of working traffic lights poses a direct threat to the safety of motorists,” she said.

“Members of the community are fed up with hearing that there aren’t any available funds to ensure basic service delivery.”

CoE replace traffic lights
While traffic remains at a standstill in Brentwood Park, the CoE has embarked on a mass traffic light replacement drive in the CBD.

Merely 7.2km from the Great North and High roads intersection, and in line with the South African Road Traffic Signs Manual (SARTSM), numerous signals have been replaced at intersections, including Voortrekker Street and Elston, Howard and Woburn avenues.

CoE spokesperson Zweli Dlamini said that the replacements are sporadically undertaken to ensure that they comply with the prescribed specifications and that replacements are prioritised according to the road classification and availability of funds.

“Pro-active maintenance of traffic signals is done in an attempt to keep the signals functional at all times,” he said.

“The recent replacement of traffic signals in the CBD was fast-tracked due to the ageing and unreliable infrastructure. Inspections revealed that repairs on these signals were no longer viable.”

Dlamini declined to comment on the cost of the replacements, citing that costs vary depending on the size of the intersection.

“Divulging the specifics relating to the costs of the replacements could lead to theft of infrastructure, which continues to be a challenge for the city,” he said.

ALSO READ: Metro says ‘no’ to Benoni Lake Club’s request for traffic lights

ALSO READ: Traffic, parking issues cause stir on Woburn Avenue