Obscure road holes incense motorists
A particular section, at the intersection of York and Sutherland Streets, has stirred the ire of many a motorist. A large piece of tar was cut away in preparation for pothole repairs but was never demarcated.
The municipality is presently stuck between a rock and a hard place. On the one hand, it has started its road repair programme, but on the other hand, fuming motorists are fed up with the number of unmarked road excavations popping up all around town, more especially in the Central Business District.
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A particular section, at the intersection of York and Sutherland Streets, has stirred the ire of many a motorist. A large piece of tar was cut away in preparation for pothole repairs but was never demarcated.
A report to the press was made by a furious motorist who sustained damage to his car’s tyre after it hit one of the cuttings near the Sutherland and Terminus Street intersection.
The municipality has promised: “The roads department will ensure that all construction activities will be clearly demarcated during our programme.”
It also confirmed internal municipal road construction teams were carrying out the maintenance and repairs, claiming these were completed within a 24-hour time frame.
The municipality admitted however its ideal would be to have these steps carried out concurrently, but the availability of specialised road filling materials was an issue.
Meanwhile businesses in Industria hope the road will receive attention soon. Factory shop steward, Anthon von Lisenborgh complained that roads in the factory’s vicinity and roads near his home are in a shocking state, and he believes the solution is simple.
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“The municipality should just use prepared mixture and fix the holes. I could plant a garden in some of them,” he grumbled.
Inkatha Freedom Party Councillor and factory owner, Alex Liu, tries to look on the bright side.
“Although the repair work is slow, at least something is happening,” he quipped, although his forecast for the municipality is bleak.
Cllr Liu is worried about the current financial state of the Newcastle Municipality and wonders how long the proverbial boat can stay afloat.
“We don’t know what’s going to happen, but perhaps [being placed under administration] is the only way to get us out of this situation. Our cost for salaries and wages has exceeded the upper limit of 35 per cent as regulated by the MFMA (Municipal Financial Management Act). We can’t keep operating like this,” he concluded.
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