Issues surrounding the A Re Yeng construction discussed
A meeting was recently held for businesses to address issues surrounding the A Re Yeng construction and services. Further community meetings will be held later in October.
The construction of the new fast bus lanes in the north of Pretoria has come under the spotlight with residents objecting to heavy traffic congestion and also a lack of safety as the building work has resulted in street lights being temporarily disconnected. A meeting with business owners in the north of Pretoria was held recently to discuss the construction progress of the A Re Yeng bus services and possible solutions to the problems being experienced.
During the meeting of stakeholders regarding the construction of lanes of the Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) of Line 1A, which moves from the CBD to the Rainbow Junction in Pretoria North, held at the Pretoria North City Hall on Wednesday, matters such as traffic delays and security came under the spotlight.
Traffic congestion in the north of Pretoria has recently reached levels that motorists described as unacceptable, although pointsmen have since been deployed to alleviate the problem.
According to Councillor Dana Wannenburg, other problems including safety and accessibility were also raised. “This area has since become a hijacking hotspot,” she said. Wannenburg added that the council had taken note of this problem and would look into improving the lighting. Another problem addressed was the inaccessibility experienced by tow trucks, who could not get to the scene to remove broken-down vehicles.
“Many of the vehicles that are stuck in traffic overheat and break down. This turns into a traffic nightmare as the tow trucks are unable to reach them.”
Impatient taxi buses that drive in the emergency lanes in order to avoid the traffic jam further impede the ability of tow trucks and police to get to the scene of an accident or broken-down vehicle. Wannenburg said that this had been addressed previously, but that the problem was still without a solution, and was raised again. “We suggested that traffic cones must be put on the side of the road to prevent taxis from using the emergency lanes.” Wannenburg said that other information shared with the business owners included the plans for the new bridges, the new bus depot stations and the economic impact the bus services would have. Community meetings for the general public regarding the A Re Yeng bus services will take place on 24 October at Mayville Laerskool at 18:00 and on 30 October at Danie Malan Primary School, Pretoria North at 18:00.
Wannenburg urged all to attend, as the bus services will impact every person’s life. For complaints or queries regarding the construction of the A Re Yeng bus services, contact:
– The social facilitator for Line 1A, Vincent Kekana, on 012-998-1054/ 082-716-7205 or e-mail vincent@risimati.co.za.
– The community liason officer for Line 1A-2 (Venter Street to Louis Trichardt Street), Frieda Bezuidenhout, on 076-976-8434 or e-mail line1package2.clo@gmail.com
– Line 1A-3 (Louis Trichardt Road to Rainbow Junction), Justinus Khalane on 082-690-9292 or e-mail justinuskhalane47@gmail.com.
