Traffic lights at three intersections along Malibongwe Drive are constantly targeted and regularly vandalised by cable thieves.
Over the past three months, this trend has made an enormous impact on motorists and traffic congestion in Joburg.
The affected intersections are between Malibongwe Drive and R114, N14 South and N14 North. The City has now installed stop signs at these intersections adjacent to the section of the Thabo Mbeki Informal Settlements.
One of the motorists, Leo Tuttelberg, who regularly drives on the road from Randburg to Lanseria airport, complained that traffic lights were always out of order.
“There are four robots not working on Malibongwe drive on the way to Lanseria airport and they have not worked for many months. I recently saw signs of real progress. They have now put what seems to be a permanent stop sign at these robots,” he said.
He added that traffic congestion during peak hours either in the morning or in the afternoon was terrible due to the traffic lights that were always out of order.
Joburg Roads Agency is well aware of this problem and plans to launch the infrastructure protection unit on 19 May. JRA spokesperson Bertha Peters-Scheepers said the City was waiting for material that would be less attractive to cable thieves and costs less.
“In the meantime we have deployed Outsurance pointsmen during peak time to alleviate traffic congestion,” she said.
She explained that to replace or repair traffic lights cost the ratepayers between R200 000 to R300 000 at just one intersection.
“We want communities to get involved as we roll out this new project to protect traffic lights against vandalism. We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience caused but we are addressing this challenge,” she said.
Details: Joburg Road Agency, hotline@jra.org.za or 086 056 2874.
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