The cloudy, overcast weather seems to have decided to give us breather, just in time for the festive season’s school holidays. A reminder that holidays are upon us was reinforced by the presence of two caravans on the road. I have never been a caravaner, but apparently the sense of happy togetherness is quite special.
This phenomenon is curiously so strong, that groups of caravan holidaymakers will congregate year-on-year at the same resort for the same period of time. Quite strange for me, but whatever floats your boat.
I travel the R102 and not the N2, as freeway travel is super great for getting between locations when in a hurry, whereas for me, it is more pleasant taking the secondary road that predates the freeway, as the scenery is visually stimulating.
However, danger lurks on this secondary road in the shape of the dreaded pothole, which, with increased road traffic and plenty of rain, is like the tooth cavity. This attack on your tooth starts off as a tingle of discomfort and which can quickly develop into the black hole cavity that dentists prod with that spiky thing before deadening the gum and nerve, before and filling the cavity.
Of course, depending how soon after the development of the cavity action is taken, dictates the size of the void to be filled. Unfortunately, for us motorists and the road gang, this axion applies to potholes as well, and with rain and increased traffic, procrastination will have the same result. Indeed, driving the R102 has become rather like undertaking the Dakar Rally!
The roads in the Free State are in a bad way I know, having travelled the R34 quite frequently and zigzagging along the road at times is past a joke. Having a head on collision in these circumstances, when both parties are avoiding the potholes and not keeping an eye on the road.
In one area of the Free State a private company actually undertook to do the road repairs because the authorities were slack and the road conditions were damaging their trucks.
So, local authorities, step up and get down and dirty and get the roads repaired.
BIO
Trevor Barnes is a retired gentleman, who recently entered the club of septuagenarians. He was raised and schooled in Port Elizabeth at Grey High School until Std. 8 and finishing his matric year at Pretoria Boys High School. He trained as a cartographer and spent his productive working years on diamond mines or signage companies. His wife and he raised twin sons who presently are working in the UK and UAE respectively. His interests are history, exploring South Africa and meeting people.
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