Local newsMunicipalNews

Ward 94 Cllr is still driving Fourways traffic lights issues

Councillor David Foley said several traffic lights in Fourways were still not working, despite being adopted, since the new protectors were waiting on the Department of Roads and Transport to fix them.

Councillor David Foley, of Ward 94, has provided an update on the traffic light crisis in Fourways, saying that despite adopted traffic lights having emergency power, other issues can still arise.

Last year, Foley conducted a basic count which revealed that approximately 19 traffic lights were out of order in Fourways.

Read more: Private businesses jump into protecting traffic signals in Fourways

To address this issue, Foley suggested that the Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport allow private businesses to adopt and protect traffic lights through the Fourways Improvement District, a non-profit company.

This proposal was well-received by private businesses, which saw it as an opportunity to ensure easy accessibility to their establishments. The Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport also recognised the potential to improve the province’s economy.

As a result, the Adopt and Protect a Robot campaign was launched to tackle congested roads in Fourways and across the province. This initiative is part of a broader effort to address traffic congestion, vandalism, and lawlessness by ensuring uninterrupted traffic signal functionality through alternative power sources.

Councillor David Foley is sitting on the traffic lights issues in his ward.

Also read: An audit by the Gauteng Department of Roads and Logistics Gautengs reveals a traffic light crisis

However, there are traffic lights that are not working to date despite being adopted. Foley said a service level agreement between the Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport and Johannesburg Roads Agency, to hand over the traffic lights in the City of Johannesburg, was still in the works. “The maintenance is still done by the Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport at the moment.”

Foley said Johannesburg Roads Agency agreed to take over the responsibilities of taking care of the traffic lights, but only after the Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport had fixed them.

“Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport is trying their best and many calls and escalation emails have been sent to their team to ensure they are fixed.”

He said he has engaged with the MEC for Roads and Transport, Kedibone Diale-Tlabela, on January 8 to try and expedite the repairs.

Foley added that traffic lights on Winnie Mandela and Broadacres avenues, Cedar and Witkoppen roads, and Cedar and Fourways boulevards, are still not working to date, however, they have all been reported.

A media query reply from Lesiba Mpya, the spokesperson of the Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport, said they had a meeting on January 9 with traffic engineering aimed at taking stock in the new year and their plan for the next six months.

Follow us on our FacebookXInstagram and TikTok pages. Join our WhatsApp group for any story ideas you may have.

Related article: Check how to report faulty traffic lights in the City of Gold

At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
Stay in the know. Download the Caxton Local News Network App here.

Related Articles

Back to top button