Florida Road UIP lives up to its role
Fibre optic cables, painting and planting, things are on the go in Florida Road.
THE continued work by the Florida Road UIP is slowly making a difference in the road. Over the past few month the pavements in Florida Road have been dug up a number of times and for the installtion of a Fibre Optic Network.
This was done by three different companies for three different installations. Link Africa laid a cable along the length of Florida Road to service all restaurants with WiFi in the precinct and link up with a city wide network. Dark Fibre Africa laid a link into Florida Road from Gordon Road and a municipal link was done from Ninth Ave to service 174 Florida Road.
“The idea was that DSTV and Mweb subscribers got the added bonus of free uncapped WiFi, so restaurants in the road have now been made hotspots and benefitted from this. The fibre optic cables have been put in, the road was dug up and reinstated and a very good job was done!” said Gray Braadvedt, Precinct Manager.
Over and above their daily role of keeping the road tidy, the Florida Road UIP men in blue are quietly doing more and more each day to maintain the look of Florida Road.
Grafitti covered municipal structures are being cleaned up and given a lick of paint, a road sign that had come loose was repaired and chipped bollards have been repainted.
The tree bowls are also being planted with indigenous ground cover that will not only look good but will also protect the soil from washaways.
“We are trying to discourage the ‘broken window syndrome’ in the area,” said Gray.
A meeting was held recently to discuss the car guards working in the road. Car guards have now been formalised and Gray said the community is encouraged to support the car guards wearing the uniforms, white branded shirt with beige long trousers and wide brimmed hat.
The rejuvenation of Florida Road began in October 2013, when the Florida Road UIP activated its services.
The UIP is tasked to manage the public space along Florida Road from Lilian Ngoyi Road intersection in the south to Mitchell Park in the north and includes properties on both sides of the road.
To read more about how the UIP operates visit www.floridaroaduip.co.za
