Traffic anarchy on William Nicol

Those poor Outsurance pointsmen are a “punching bag” for local taxi drivers who have no qualms spitting and swearing at them, and even trying to deliberately ride them over – should they dare question their lack of driving skills.

At times there is a road worker who tries to sort out the massive congestion on the corner of Uranium/Mulbarton and William Nicol, with Outsurance pointsmen and Metro police missing in action. He takes even more abuse from taxi drivers! Even the guys painting the road markings on Broadacres Drive have been trying their best to help out with the congestion.

Taxis make three lanes of traffic from a single lane, especially at the Broadacres Drive intersection and Uranium intersection, ignoring compulsory right turns, creating another lane facing on-coming traffic. Or they simply drive on the newly-worked surfaces and then on the sand servitude from Indaba Hotel to Broadacres Drive, covering all the law abiding drivers in dust, and dodging pedestrians and cyclists with millimetres to spare!

Why do the traffic lights at Mulbarton/Uranium /William Nicol not work? They are on – they just flash red all day! Why do the traffic lights at Broadacres Drive not work either? Are they damaged due to roadworks? Not only do we have to contend with roadworks and single lanes, but also traffic lights that haven’t worked in months.

Two weeks ago there was an Indian Metro policeman directing traffic at the Broadacres Drive intersection, with authority and vigour. And it was around 5pm, when chaos normally reigns supreme. Everybody, taxi drivers included, suddenly remembered the rules of the road.

It’s currently anarchy out there… Metro police need to take back control of the roads: they are the only ones with the power to do so.