Blaming poor visibility at night will no longer be a valid excuse for motorists in many parts of Region C after City Power completed its project of installing streets lights in Wards 85, 89, 97 and 126.
On Thursday, 3 December, the MMC for Environment and Infrastructure Services (EISD), Councillor Mpho Moerane was accompanied by the City Power acting CEO, Nancy Maluleke and councillors of the areas to launch the LED energy-efficiency street lights as we usher in the festive season.
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A total 590 street lamps were installed between Hendrik Potgieter, Christiaan de Wet and Jim Fouche Roads, and Poortview from October.
According to City Power, the benefits of these lights are safer neighbourhoods as the streets will be lit; safety to both motorists and pedestrians; safety to the community, with criminals operating less in well-lit areas; beneficial to emergency services who attend to accident scenes in the area; and law-enforcement and security agencies that operate at night in those areas, including local neighbourhood watch groups.
As infrastructure is prone to vandalism and theft, Moerane advised City Power to begin investing in the latest technologies to protect these valuable assets.
“If we continue installing street lights without protecting them, it’s the same as wasting money. Most of the street lights in the city are vandalised. There are existing technologies that we can implement to prevent people from stealing cables,” this innovative thinker suggested to the officials of City Power.
In response, Nancy noted the suggestions from the MMC. “This community has been waiting for street lights for a long time. The advantage of them is that they are high-mast, which means they are less prone to vandalism and more energy-efficient. In future, we will not only install street lights, but invest in sustainable technologies that will prevent vandalism going forward,” she cited.
Ward 97 councillor Leah Knott expressed her gratitude on behalf of the community, saying that it was lovely to see the well-lit roads which in turn make the areas safer.
To spice up the ceremony, the MMC and councillors were granted the opportunity to switch on the lights, using the folding jib aerial working platform of the high-altitude street lights maintenance vehicle.
With other parts of the city still in the dark, City Power has allocated R125 million for the installation of new street lights within the next three years, equating to 5 500 new street lights, mainly for townships and new suburbs.
