N11 bridge a wasteful expenditure?
The most recent pedestrian counts carried out by SANRAL on August 2 showed that almost no one uses the bridge
The pedestrian bridge over the N11 (Lyell Street, near taxi rank) that was constructed by the municipality still raises major concerns and confusion as to why it was built in the first place.
The fact that hardly anybody ever uses the bridge raises one simple question: Why was the bridge built when there is a traffic light system that accommodates the safety and management of pedestrians?
According to SANRAL (South African National Road Agency Limited), the local municipality was warned that a pedestrian bridge at that particular location would be wasteful expenditure due to the fact that there is an existing signal controlled intersection. Despite SANRAL’s strong reservations, the bridge was constructed anyway.
The above comment from SANRAL comes in the wake of a column written in sister paper Times of Ladysmith by Iqbal Khan, in which he refers to both the Model Kloof Bridge and the bridge over the N11 as the “white elephants of Sanral”.
“As part of a signed Memorandum of understanding with the municipality, SANRAL will only take over the facility if it can be shown that over a period of five years, from its construction, the bridge was being well used by pedestrians,” says SANRAL.
The most recent pedestrian counts carried out by SANRAL on August 2 showed that almost no one uses the bridge, but rather the robots on ground level, so it is doubtful whether SANRAL will take over control of the bridge.
According to SANRAL, the municipality was given a very short time in which to spend excess grant funding and considered that the quickest way was to construct a pedestrian bridge at one of the busiest intersections in town.
DID YOU KNOW?
Click on the words highlighted in red to read more on this and related topics.
If you are reading this on your cellphone and there are telephone numbers provided in the text, you can call these simply by clicking on them.
To receive news links via WhatsApp.
For the latest news, visit our webpage or follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Join us there!
