Traffic is waking nightmare on main thoroughfares
Two of Johannesburg’s busiest corridors are in chaos as Eskom fails to restore power to critical intersections, despite repeated reports.
Motorists travelling along Witkoppen Road and Rivonia Road are facing worsening traffic chaos, with multiple signalised intersections out of order for weeks.
According to Ward 93 councillor Vino Reddy, residents have complained that the Witkoppen Road and Main Road intersection has become increasingly unsafe and intimidating, particularly at night.
They reported that pedestrians often stand in the middle of the road, rubbish is burned on the roadside, and suspicious individuals linger on all corners of the intersection.
Reddy confirmed that Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) has already reported the issue to Eskom, as the power supply to the signals has failed. “Despite this, Eskom has not attended to the fault for more than a week.”
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He added that traffic congestion is further compounded down Witkoppen Road, where lights at the Straight Avenue and the Montecasino Boulevard intersections have been deliberately turned off to allow for road-widening and construction work, approved by the Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport.
While these upgrades are intended to improve access in the long run, Reddy noted that the lack of pointsmen during construction has left motorists in misery. “Additional complaints have also been raised regarding outages at Rivonia Road and Vanderbijl Avenue, as well as Rivonia Road and Maxwell Drive. These intersections, too, have been reported by JRA to Eskom.”
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With these two major routes crippled by outages, within a few hundred meters of one another, residents and local authorities alike are demanding Eskom provide clarity on the nature of the problem, and explain why repairs are taking so long.
JRA’s Mosa Makhalima acknowledged the receipt of our query and promised to revert. Eskom, however, remained mum. Replies will be published once received.
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