Pretoria east road ‘not that bad’ – DA bigwig

The “dangerous” R50 Delmas Road in the east of Pretoria is “not in the worst of conditions”, which is why there are no plans to upgrade it at this time.

This is according to DA transport spokesperson in Gauteng Fred Nel, Pretoria East Rekord reports.

READ MORE: Truck crashes into car, killing three people in Delmas

Instead, the provincial government has allocated R175-million to upgrade Boeing Road which was in a worse condition than the Delmas Road, Nel said.

“Boeing Road has numerous potholes, which cause dangerous driving conditions.”

It was also a matter of “jurisdiction”, he said.

Though a number of safety concerns were raised regarding both roads, the province could only intervene within a certain jurisdiction.

Safety issues included a lack of proper emergency stopping lanes and speed calming measures.

“Most of the degraded parts on Boeing Road form part of the provincial roads network. Delmas Road, east of Rietvlei Dam Road, belongs to the municipality who maintains it.”

Although Delmas Road was not going to be upgraded because of financial constraints, a budget had been allocated to maintain the road, which was considered to be dangerous, with several accidents due to speeding and a lack of visibility.

Infographic: Noxolo Sibiya

Nel warned motorists to be aware of the intersections at Delmas Road and De Villebois Mareuil Drive, and Delmas Road and Barnard Street, as they were considered accident hotspots.

“Motorists must drive at lower speeds on these roads to have time to avoid crossing traffic, pedestrians and potholes. Drive with headlights on and ensure all attention is focused on the road while driving.”

Motorists are likely to experience intense traffic congestion when construction work on Boeing Road starts around August.

“During construction, heed yellow traffic signs and safety officers at the construction site, drive slowly, be patient and consider alternative routes.”

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