Even more billboards for Bedfordview
Engineers in the area also expressed concern over the structures and the speed at which they have gone up.
Billboard woes are far from over for Bedfordview residents.
Residents claim more structures are mushrooming up at an alarming rate.
Earlier this year, the ward 20 councillor, Clr Jill Humphreys, said the area was up for sale to the highest bidder.
“And yet our very own Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality (EMM) is doing the pimping. Every available corner and space is occupied by a super-billboard. The EMM must show respect for its own bylaws,” she said at the time.
Last Thursday, Clr Humphreys said two more billboards were going up along the N3 highway.
Clr Humphreys said she was worried at the rate trees are being sacrificed for mega outdoor advertising structures.
“Take Skeen Boulevard for example. They have literally cut down a whole forest to make way for a billboard. It is sickening to see this being allowed to just happen. These people putting up these structures are confident and arrogant because they have the backing of the EMM. Once they show you their permits given by the EMM, whatever one says does not matter,” said Clr Humphreys.
During the NEWS’ visit to the site on Skeen Boulevard, a new structure was already up and flighting an advert.
A foundation and slab could also be seen 250m from the existing one.
According to Clr Humphreys, the foundation is for another billboard to be put up.
In March this year, over 10 billboards were put up on bridges along major highways around Bedfordview.
The EMM’s spokesperson, Mr Themba Gadebe, said the municipality gave permission in terms of the provisions of the Ekurhuleni Police Services Bylaws (2003), reading together with regulation 5 of the South African National Roads Agency Limited (known as regulation 2000).
At the time, the South African Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) objected to the signs and called on the EMM to withdraw the 16 approvals granted for billboards to be put up.
“It is clear that the EMM, in granting these approvals, is in contravention of its bylaws. Sanral hereby requires the municipality to withdraw the approvals granted on Sanral-owned bridges. The council must instruct the advertising company to remove these structures as well as advertising signs and make good the damage caused to the bridge structure within 30 days from the date of this communication,” read a document from the agency.
Engineers in the area also expressed concern over the structures and the speed at which they have gone up.
“One cannot help but wonder if proper calculations were done and whether or not wind loading was taken into account when putting up the bridges,” said an engineer who lives along Riley Road.
He also called on the EMM to take the billboards down.
“If they don’t want a disaster to take place then they need to address this now before those things collapse,” he said.
