Potholes are a road menace that many communities have to deal with.
The Parkmore Community Association is currently dealing with a large pothole at the bottom of 13th Street and Mattie Avenue. According to the association’s deputy chairperson, Kate Wardle, the pothole has been reported to Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) by the association, residents and Ward 103 councillor, Vincent Earp numerous times.
Wardle believes that the issue stems from the fact the road surfaces have deteriorated. “[This deterioration is] because of ground water, which is the responsibility of JRA to resolve, it is not a leak for Johannesburg Water to fix,” she said. “The two departments have been in a standoff for months. This hole was there before the roads were closed but has recently got much worse. Vincent Earp is doing all he can to put pressure on the JRA.”
Earp, who refers to the pothole as a ‘giant’ added, “JRA has been very lax in their efforts to do pothole and tarmac repairs. We need greater efficiency from JRA as we have potholes left for months before they are repaired. Their [JRA] performance needs to change dramatically.”
According to him, the pothole on the corner of 13th Street and Mattie Avenue poses a serious danger to all motorists in the area. “Residents have reported this issue continually. I have also reported it. The pothole is actually caused by a natural spring [which runs below the surface of the road]. We predict a chaotic situation down there soon.”
Margaret Rankine, a resident who has lived in Parkmore for 48 years said, “We live right by this pothole and it is right in front of our neighbour’s home. We measured it and it was 3.6m wide. This is a very serious problem and it is getting bigger and bigger. It is an accident waiting to happen and our neighbour may soon be blocked out of his own home.”
The road agency’s spokesperson, Bertha Peters-Scheepers responded to the issue and said, ” JRA thanks the community for alerting us to this matter. We will investigate the source of the problem and ensure that the road surface is repaired in [the] next week [ending 21 October].”
The Sandton Chronicle will follow the story for updates.
