Residents demand repairs on ‘Field’s Hell’
Many of the cat eyes along Field's Hill are inactive and the armco barriers have been left in disrepair.
LABELLED as ‘Field’s Hell’ by many, motorists have questioned their safety on the provincial road after hundreds of the cat eyes along the busy route have blinked out of existence.
The Highway Mail has received numerous calls from residents regarding the issue on Field’s Hill.
“The lack of maintenance this year, including damaged armco barriers not being repaired, grows daily. The solar powered cat eyes are the second, no doubt costly, batch that were installed some two or three years ago and many have failed with time, especially on the M13 corners on Field’s Hill,” said concerned Gillitts resident, Bernie McLoughlin.
“The road is now unsafe and with the mist we get up here, these road safety cat eyes are a must.”
Dave Freeman said, “So many of the cat eyes have stopped working, making this already dangerous piece of road even worse.”Another resident, Margo Sluiter, also raised her concerns and pleaded with the Department of Transport (DoT) to use another variety.
“The use of these cat eyes was a waste of taxpayers’ money.”
Ward 10 Councillor, Tex Collins, weighed in on the issue and said there were numerous safety issues regarding Field’s Hill. “The problems cannot simply be attributed to the lack of cat eyes because there are far bigger issues which need to be addressed as well.
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“Indeed, cat eyes are an absolute necessity and it is shameful the DoT displays such a degree of inertia when it comes to Field’s Hill. Given our weather conditions and the volume of traffic using the Hill, it would be expected of the Province to monitor the situation and do the vital maintenance on a continuous basis. It is doubtful that cat eyes will be installed before the Christmas shutdown.
“Any casual observer will have noticed that the armco barriers on Field’s Hill, in both directions, are non-existent. They are so badly damaged and, in themselves, are a clear and present danger.
The councillor said he wrote to the KZN Department of Roads and asked for repairs to be done. “As is usually the case, absolutely nothing has taken place. Will it take another major accident to jolt the Province from its stupor?” he queried.
ALSO READ: 12 people injured in Field’s Hill taxi crash
Ward 18 Councillor, Melanie Brauteseth said she had been striving for a solution to the problem since July this year. “Despite numerous calls and e-mails demanding action from the DoT, nothing has been done to improve this dangerous situation. We will continue to fight to make this road safe for all to use,” she said.
When questioned why the eThekwini Municipality had not intervened on behalf of the motorists, Princess Nkabane of the eThekwini Media Office, said, “Fields Hill falls under the Department of Transport. We have nothing further to add.”
The DoT was contacted on Friday, 7 September and again on 8 November and has not responded for comment regarding the issues raised by residents.
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