Community feels let down
SANDTON – One large hole has caused an exceptional amount of grief in Parkmore.
The Sandton Chronicle recently reported on a massive 4m wide pothole in Parkmore on the corner of 13th Street and Mattie Avenue.
This pothole is no longer a stand-alone hole as it has now been dug out and an entire street is blocked off as a result. Kate Wardle, who is the deputy chairperson of the Parkmore community association, expressed her frustration, as she feels that this issue is not being dealt with efficiently.
Click here to read: A giant Parkmore pothole
“Despite a reassurance on Monday that Johannesburg Water would be on site to fix the broken pipe or cable, no progress has been noted except for additional soil dumped.”
She added that the roads agency seems to be unclear if there is ground water beneath the hole despite confirming that it was in fact ground water at an earlier stage. It was stated in the Sandton Chronicle article A serious pothole problem that Johannesburg Water did indeed test the water and confirmed that it tested positive for ground water.
Also read: A serious pothole problem
Wardle is also concerned as there is no signage or assistance for motorists trying to navigate through the Parkmore road closures during rush hour traffic. “Residents are furious about opening many gates to facilitate this and, during the weekend, members of the PCA and 24/7 had to endure a huge amount of complaints and abuse from both residents and non-residents alike.”
To her mind, this could be mitigated by better communication from the roads agency and them putting up the detour signage she has asked them to provide. “We still have no [indication] on how long this will take to fix.”
The hole lies directly in front of two homes. 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. 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.”
Ward 103 councillor Vincent Earp has also expressed his concerns as this hole poses a safety threat, especially at night when drivers have limited visibility.
Bertha Peters-Scheepers, spokesperson for the roads agency, recently told the Sandton Chronicle that the matter is a lot more severe than the entity anticipated and explained that the agency is in the process of repairing the problem.
She urged residents to be patient as she cannot provide a definite timeline as to when the repairs will be complete.
