Traffic signals on Hendrik Potgieter and Christiaan de Wet roads taking a beating from drivers and vandals
Provincial roads department announces the addition of faulty traffic signal reporting on their fault logging app PotholeFixGP.
Motorists may have grown used to once-illuminated intersections now being treated as dark stop-and-goes.
Either knocked down following accidents or deliberately felled by criminal elements looking for cables, traffic lights along Hendrik Potgieter and Christiaan de Wet roads are shamefully abused. Gauteng Provincial Department of Roads and Transport (GPDRT) is the entity responsible for the management and maintenance of these routes with the centralised system leading to inconsistent turnaround times.
Karen Poole from Constantia Village Residents Association raised the matter as the number of fallen lights has become hard to ignore.
“It seems repairs are not a priority. It increases the risk of accidents and now we see criminals targeting the poles for cable theft. Urban decay seems to be setting in at an alarming rate. The traffic lights, the street lights, the litter, the state of the centre islands. It’s a mess!” stated Karen.
The GPDRT did not respond to multiple requests for information sent via email on July 18, July 24, July 27, and August 1 but did release a statement on August 6 partly addressing the issue. The GPDRT’s preferred method of fault logging is their PotholeFixGP app which is available on the Google Play store. The entity announced that it would be adding the reporting of faulty traffic signals to the app to improve service delivery.
The department’s communication portal was set up predominantly for the reporting of potholes and allows for updated feedback on the progress of repairs. The app will now provide a status update on reported traffic signals and potholes, tracking reports from assigned to complete. The largest roads in Roodepoort which qualify as provincial roads are Christiaan de Wet, Hendrik Potgieter, and Ontdekkers roads.
PotholeFixGP was launched in 2022 and the department claims to have had 7 418 potholes reported from the 9 250 downloads across Android and Apple platforms. The department state that the app is part of their smart mobility campaign that forms part of their commitment to embracing new technologies in the pursuit of improved service delivery in their province.
It further allows for checking and verifying whether a reported traffic signal or pothole is on a municipal, provincial, or national road.
Provincial transport MEC Kedibone Diale-Tlabela encouraged residents to engage with her department by using the app to report issues on provincial roads.
“We are encouraged by the rising numbers of downloads. The department further urges Gauteng residents to download the app and report road maintenance issues that need attention. PotholeFixGP serves to build relationships with road users so they become the eyes and ears of the department,” stated the MEC.
The department did not address concerns about vandalised traffic signals or how they intend to protect the infrastructure from cable theft. Intersections already brought to the department’s attention are Christiaan de Wet Road at Wilgerood Road and the loop joining Hendrik Potgieter Road. The latter joins intersects Rhinoceros Road and Jim Fouche Road were also raised and motorists are encouraged to keep reporting matters to test the efficiency of the PotholeFixGP app.
