Belvedere potholes a danger to residents of Glen Austin
Residents of Glen Austin are tired of having to drive on the verges to avoid potholes. JRA says that they are aware of the problem and are taking the necessary steps.
Residents of Glen Austin are worried about the state of their neighbourhood, slowly turning into a residence of neglect, spurn, and disregard.
Members of the community have been complaining about potholes, which are damaging their cars and potentially putting their lives at risk.
Potholes in Belvedere Road have been getting deeper with every rainfall, making it difficult for motorists to drive on that road, and leading them to drive over the verges, destroying the greenery that the community has worked hard to preserve.
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Community members have indicated that they have tried to speak to their councillor about this several times, however, they never get a suitable answer for their situation.
Judy Bird, vice chairperson of the Glen Austin Conservancy (GAC), said: “This place is full of potholes. We’ve asked for that to be fixed, but we’re told, that can’t happen now, due to the rain. When you try to swerve to get out of somebody’s way, and you go down these potholes, you puncture your tyre, and possibly get hurt.”
Charmaine Ngoepe, councillor of Ward 92, came forward and noted that many of these potholes have been fixed before, with many of them emanating due to the heavy rains. “There’s no service towards these roads. I’m pleading with Johannesburg Road Agency (JRA) to help fix this issue, as people are starting to feel like I’m not servicing them. It’s been three months now. They said they were going to fix them, but even now, the situation is still the same.”
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When JRA was contacted with regards to this matter, they agreed that they are aware of the potholes. They have scheduled a team to go assess Belvedere Road within the coming week, and, if the weather is on their side, the necessary work will commence shortly after.
Head of department at JRA regional operations Khayalethu Gqibitole said: “Pothole repairs are prioritised based on several factors, including the severity and size of the pothole, its impact on traffic flow, the level of risk it poses to road users, and the volume of traffic on the affected road. Reports from residents, road inspections, and the JRA’s internal monitoring systems are also used to prioritise repairs. Our goal is to continually improve turnaround times and the durability of repairs.”
Read more: Midrand Industrial Park manager unhappy with JRA’s ‘shoddy work’
JRA has committed to enhancing road safety and driving experience across the City of Johannesburg, and urges people to keep reporting these issues so that they can be dealt with.
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