Ward 93 Councillor Vinod Reddy made sure Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) for Transport, Kenny Kunene, saw Sunninghill’s transport challenges up close when he selected one of the area’s busiest and most problematic intersections for a site visit on November 6 at Sunninghill Taxi Rank on Witkoppen Road.
The visit formed part of the City’s Operation Restore, an initiative aimed at tackling road infrastructure issues across Johannesburg.
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The location marked by malfunctioning traffic lights, illegal parking, and informal car washes crowding the roadside was chosen deliberately by Reddy to highlight the realities residents and drivers face daily.
Although the existing taxi rank is legal, it often becomes congested and spills into surrounding streets, creating additional safety and traffic concerns.
“I would like to implore him to use his influence with the Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport, as well as to assist in resolving JRA’s account issues and the ongoing traffic light problems on Maxwell Drive, Van der Bijl Avenue, Rivonia Road, and Leeuwkop Road.
Right across from where we’re standing, you can see the traffic lights aren’t working, and the same applies at Witkoppen and Main Road,” said Reddy.
“This is a major issue affecting all our residents, both transient and local. We also have numerous potholes and road patches that need urgent attention, but I’m hopeful that this Operation Restore program will help bring us closer to resolving these long-standing infrastructure challenges.
Welcome again to this ward, and we hope the program bears fruit for us.”
Reddy said he wanted the MMC to see first-hand why the taxi rank needs to be upgraded and reorganised so that taxis can operate more efficiently and safely. Kunene agreed that Reddy had chosen the right spot, saying it reflected the very issues his department has been trying to tackle across the city.
Also read: WATCH: Councillor puts foot down, blocking taxis using pedestrian lanes on Winnie Mandela Drive
“The weather has allowed us to work under cool conditions, but we have to move fast because it looks like we’ve got 60 percent rain today which might disturb the work we’ll be doing, as we can’t work when it’s raining,” said Kunene.
He also addressed the problem of informal car washes along the roadside, noting how they obstruct roadwork and damage the tar.
@caxtonjoburgnorth MMC Kenny Kunene visits Sunninghill with Ward 93 councillor Vinod Reddy to see broken traffic lights, potholes, and taxi rank congestion up close during Operation Restore. Video: Ditiro Masuku #Localnews #trendingvideo #johannesburg #caxtonlocalmedia #SA #News #Fourways #kunene ♬ original sound – Caxton Joburg North
“We have a problem that I’ve noticed. I went into the taxi and spoke to the indunas there, they need to remove this car wash, and we also need to inform the owners of the other one across the road, because the water they use is damaging the surface.
As things stand, we can’t carry out road markings in that area because the car wash is right on the section of road that’s supposed to be improved.”
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