At a highly positive public meeting organised by Johannesburg Roads Agency to discuss the updated 2014 Road Closure Policy, the City of Johannesburg was seen to be taking a very positive approach to road closures.
“The council recognises that crime has reached unprecedented proportions and that road closures are an important safety-feature adopted by many residents trying to protect themselves,” said Stephen Margo, a specialist in road closure administration.
The meeting was informed that the Department of Public Safety would with immediate effect now be involved in the section 45 meetings and adjudication of road closure renewal applications.
Commencing in December of this year, official letters detailing policy rules, changes and requirements that closures need to adhere to will be sent to resident associations and other relevant parties in charge of both illegal and legal road closures around Johannesburg. Also, these notifications will be sent to those that have failed to renew their closures after the two year period stipulated in the 2014 policy and the new draft policy. The 2014 policy stands until such time as the new draft policy has been accepted and signed off by the city council.
Failure to commence renewal within a 30-day period may lead to the removal of the closure as well as a fine.
The meeting was extremely constructive with many questions being asked by attendees and answered by the panel. The community has until the 20 January next year to forward in writing, any proposals, improvements and suggestions that they would like to have considered.
“Given that most residents are extremely busy at this time of the year, and that the terms and conditions of a road enclosure are unfamiliar to many, we will be happy to assist concerned residents and conduct information workshops to aid the road closure renewal process,” concluded Margo.
Details: Steve Margo stephen@margo-security.co.za; 011 465 8638;- 076 030 2342.
