The broken road edge and excavation caused several near fatal accidents, referred to in a letter of demand to the metro from Zehir Omar Attorneys, on behalf of the Society for the Protection of our Constitution, on April 3.
According to Abu Bakr, from the attorneys, the road was unpainted and uneven due to the addition of a layer of tar.
• Read: Welgedacht Road maintenance causes havoc
In a newspaper article (‘Welgedacht Road maintenance blamed for serious accidents’, Springs Advertiser, April 13) Bakr says their investigation revealed the road was not marked with warning signs to warn motorists of the drop in the road surface.
The depth of the drop was between 15cm and 20cm.
In their report, Bakr says without any warning signs it was difficult to avoid the drop in the road surface when facing oncoming traffic.
The metro was made aware of three near fatal accidents due to this.
“We had to inform the metro of the danger of the unmarked road,” he says.
The attorneys undertook to follow up with the metro to mark the road appropriately and resurface the opposite lane to ensure the safety of motorists.
• Also read: Welgedacht Road plunged into darkness
Bakr says the metro must mark and complete repairs in discharge of their obligation to administer the provincial road network in accordance with provincial norms ‘to achieve optimal safety standards within the province’.
“They need to protect and maintain provincial road network assets,” he says.
