Vandalised traffic lights pose risks for motorist and pedestrians

Traffic safety is a pressing concern for communities, especially at busy intersections where the flow of vehicles and pedestrians often intersect.

Recently, Ward 132 councillor Annette Deppe raised the alarm about a dangerous situation at the Woodmead Drive (R55) and Van Reenen Avenue intersection in Midrand.

Read more: Blue Hills traffic lights a concern to councillor and motorists

Despite her ongoing efforts to alert the necessary authorities, the issue of vandalised traffic lights remains unresolved, leaving motorists and pedestrians at serious risk.

Deppe expressed her frustration over the inaction regarding the broken traffic lights, mentioning that her complaints date back to October last year.

“Nine months ago, in October, I reported the vandalisation of the traffic lights at the intersection of Woodmead Drive (R55) and Van Reenen Avenue in Midrand,” Deppe stated.

With reference numbers R/11102023/12 and R/24102023/07 assigned to her reports, the councillor expected some form of action from the officials.

However, despite receiving confirmation emails from TraficSignals@gauteng.gov.za, the traffic signals remain non-operational, putting the community in jeopardy.

As a major thoroughfare, the R55 experiences heavy traffic, particularly during peak hours.

Also read: Out-of-service traffic lights in Midrand cause havoc for motorists

“The current situation has led to significant traffic violations, including multiple vehicles and even large Putco buses driving on pavements. This poses a severe risk to pedestrians, who have been forced to jump off the pavement to avoid being hit,” Deppe added.

“We urge the relevant authorities to prioritise the repair of these traffic lights to prevent potential fatalities.”

In response to the mounting concerns, JMPD spokesperson Superintendent Xolani Fihla clarified that the R55 is a provincial road and, as such, maintenance responsibilities fall under the Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport (GDRT).

“Unfortunately, JMPD cannot assist in terms of getting the traffic lights fixed, but the area commander will be made aware of the traffic violations in the area so action can be taken accordingly,” Fihla stated.

GDRT Spokesperson Lesiba Mpya said the department is aware of a surge in destruction and vandalism of traffic signals across the province and have consequently had a budget depletion due to unplanned replacement and repairs of traffic signals.

“The department plans to recover budget in the budget adjustment window in September,” he explained.

“Our interim recourse or remedial action had been to convert the intersections into four way stops, by putting up stop signs, but this has time delay impact due to congestion, especially on intersections that are designed for heavy traffic flow, and therefore inconveniences road users.”

Mpya added that apart from this being criminal activity and needing reinforced law enforcement the department has since initiated a partnership with the private sector for their Adopt and Protect a Robot Campaign, a campaign which is rapidly growing and will soon be seen across all regions of Gauteng with formal ‘requests’ to participate.

“We also plan in the medium-long term to grow this campaign to the Adopt a Road Campaign, addressing pothole patching, road marking, drainage, etc. This will open up new partnership opportunities for [our] Road Safety Campaign,” he concluded.

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