Concern over broken traffic lights at dangerous intersection
The traffic lights at the busy Brakpan intersection have been out of order for some time now.
Complaints have been streaming in from frustrated motorists regarding the non-functioning traffic lights at one of Brakpan’s busiest intersections.
The lights at the Elsburg and Heidelberg roads intersection near Carnival City have been out of action for more than a month.
Peak travelling times have become a nightmare for motorists who have to deal with lengthy delays as traffic backs up during rush-hour.
The intersection is also notorious for being a high accident zone.
“There are traffic officers on duty in the morning and in the afternoon, but it remains very dangerous. During the day the trucks don’t stop, they just slow down and don’t give anyone a chance,” said resident Cathy Coertze.
Another resident, Harriet Woest, pleaded for the traffic lights to be repaired as soon as possible.
“It is an extremely big frustration to drive on Heidelberg Road if you are driving towards Mall@Carnival,” she said.
“We are grateful for the traffic officers who sometimes work there, but the crossing is very busy at all times. The situation causes traffic to pile up on both sides for at least 1km in the morning. The traffic is at a standstill as far as beyond the N17 bridge.”
Brakpan Ward 105 councillor Annette Verster told the Herald the purposeful damage and vandalism of traffic infrastructure in and around Brakpan needs urgent attention and a permanent solution.
The issue, according to her, has proven to be difficult to follow up on as the responsibility of these traffic lights now falls within the ambit of the provincial government.
“After following up, I received a very generic response stating that the City of Ekurhuleni is experiencing the same problem throughout and has sent a stern warning against the deliberate damage and vandalism of traffic signs and robots,” she said.
“This response carries no weight and means nothing to the daily road users of Brakpan.”
Verster stated she has called on the main intersections to be prioritised and has requested that this intersection be attended to first.
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“Having EMPD at the intersections during peak times is not a solution. The administration needs to start focusing on taxpayers’ needs,” she added.
The Herald approached the EMPD for comment on the matter, asking how often officers are deployed to the intersection and for statistics on traffic accidents at the crossing since the lights stopped working. No response was received at the time of publication.
City of Ekurhuleni spokesperson Zweli Dlamini confirmed the roads are provincial and referred the Herald to Gautrans.
Comment is awaited from this department.
