‘Stop giving illegal traffic controllers money’ – Councillor Ralf Bittkau
Ward 101 councillor Ralf Bittkau advises the community to stop giving illegal traffic controllers money as it is not their job to direct traffic.
Ward 101 councillor Ralf Bittkau is concerned about the traffic light that has not worked for some time on Hyperion Drive and Witkoppen Road, in Noordhang.
There have recently been three accidents at the traffic lights, and there has been an influx of illegal traffic controllers. Bittkau believes that they are sabotaging the infrastructure, so that they can continue working. “This traffic light has been flashing, which shows there are no problems with power. The problem is, maybe, on the control box.”
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He further stated that the last accident that happened at the traffic lights was caused by the illegal controllers.
“The big problem is that people give money to these guys, and they now see this as their industry. They are unemployed, and they see the money being thrown at them. I’ve seen people giving away R10 notes and more. That’s what causes the problem. If we can stop giving money, they will have no reason to be there, and the robots can be fixed and stay on.”
Bittkau added that, currently, the robots’ boxes are getting fixed, but these controllers open holes and pour water inside the boxes to damage the lights.
“Unfortunately, Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) is not chasing them. I’ve seen numerous times; they come to intersections, park metres away, and do nothing.”
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JMPD spokesperson Xolani Fihla explained that it’s their responsibility to control traffic within the City of Johannesburg, and only authorised people are allowed to do so. “We have a memorandum of understanding with OUTsurance and traffic-free flow, but anyone who’s not within that group is not allowed.”
@caxtonjoburgnorth Ward 101 councillor Ralf Bittkau chased away an intoxicated illegal traffic controller from the road at the intersection of Hyperion Drive and Witkoppen Road. Video: Mthulisi Lwazi Khuboni #Ward101 #witkoppenroad ♬ original sound – Caxton Joburg North
About the illegal controllers, he stated that if they get a complaint, they attend to it, and remove those controllers from intersections.
“As there have been three accidents on Hyperion and Witkoppen roads, it has to be brought forward to our regional office to monitor that area, remove those people, and assist with controlling traffic.”
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