Private sector asked to ‘adopt’ Gauteng traffic lights  

The provincial government is moving closer to fostering collaboration between private and public sectors to improve Gauteng’s traffic lights.

Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport (GPDRT) MEC Kedibone Diale-Tlabela launched the Adopt and Protect a Robot campaign in Johannesburg’s northern suburbs on Wednesday.

The initiative aims to encourage private entities to take custodianship of intersections, addressing the hours motorists waste navigating multi-lane four-way stops due to malfunctioning traffic lights.

R30 million spent on repairs

Maintenance of roads across the province is divided between GPDRT and municipalities, with the busiest routes often under provincial management.

These roads include Winnie Mandela Drive, Hendrik Potgieter Road, Beyers Naude Drive, Rivonia Road, and other major thoroughfares spanning multiple regions.

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The Democratic Alliance (DA) Gauteng spokesperson for roads and logistics Evert Du Plessis stated earlier in the week that 149 main intersections were considered problematic.

“The department conducted an audit of 400 provincial robots in Gauteng to determine exactly how many are not working,” stated Du Plessis.

Diale-Tlabela said on Wednesday that vandalism, theft and power outages were the cause of the situation, despite millions being spent on maintenance.

“A sum of approximately R30 million was disbursed in the first year of the three-year contract to repair or replace the signals,” said the MEC.

R297 million less for roads

A change in strategy may have been forced by a reduction in budget announced by MEC for Finance Lebogang Maile earlier this week.

The province will receive R297 million less for road maintenance, but to bridge the gap, Diale-Tlabela said 16 memoranda of understanding had been signed with private entities.

Additionally, 100 foot patrollers will be dispatched in an attempt to ward off potential vandals.

“We are also exploring the utilization of drone monitoring for traffic signals to complement the Adopt A Robot initiative by safeguarding signals from theft and vandalism,” said Diale-Tlabela.

Communities must be vigilant

Despite the budget cuts, the transport MEC said new service providers would be appointed over a 36-month cycle for “repairs, technological upgrades, and maintenance of provincial traffic signals.”

Roughly 203 National Youth Service candidates with maths and science qualifications will also receive training to form the “core of an in-house maintenance team”, which will only be ready at the beginning of the 2025/26 financial year.

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Finally, the universities of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg and Pretoria will assist the department with research initiatives.

“This means that the non-functioning provincial robots that are not working will not be fixed anytime soon,” stated Du Plessis.

Diale-Tlabela thanked the private partners for their support and urged residents and businesses to collaborate with the department.

“Become a road safety champion. Participate in local community efforts to monitor and protect traffic signals. Your vigilance is crucial in making a positive impact,” the MEC concluded.

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