Heavy vehicles wear out roads
Only a few months ago eMalahleni was dubbed Pothole City.
Potholes were a serious point of discussion. There was hardly a street without a gaping hole, as drivers had to dodge these hazards to keep from damaging their vehicles.
Then the municipality came to the party and a huge pothole programme was introduced.
A whopping R5-million was allocated and in May contractors started filling the potholes which resembled mineshafts.
Using a specialized Jetmaster repair system, the potholes were soon history.
But it did not stand the test of time, or heavy vehicles driving on municipal roads, undoing all the repair work.
Four huge potholes are busy forming at the corner of OR Tambo and Beatty streets. This is posing a real danger for drivers driving in the left lane. And the main culprits are heavy vehicles having free reign in the municipal boundaries.
They are entering the N4 and N12 highways and using OR Tambo Street to the Old Middelburg Road so that they can escape Middelburg Toll Plaza.
Earlier this year former Executive Mayor of Nkangala District, Cllr Speedy Mashilo, said the days of heavy vehicles using municipal roads, are numbered.
Cllr Mashilo said notice boards will be erected in main streets prohibiting heavy vehicles from entering the city. He also said he will be using the local law enforcement unit so that fines can be imposed on companies found to be using municipal roads.
Mr Theo van Vuuren, city administrator, played open cards and said a shortage of resources is binding the municipality’s hands.
“Municipal bylaws make provision for fines to keep heavy duty vehicles out of suburbs and on to demarcated through routes. However, our current ability to apply the bylaws is insufficient and despite daily law enforcement, many heavy vehicles still enter roads they are not supposed to,” he said.
He continued that the solution lies in increased fining and a zero tolerance and they are planning in that direction.
“We are however short on resources at this stage and also still need to install another weighbridge as well as signage at all streets exiting from the demarcated main routes. This will take time and the current non-compliance culture of businesses and drivers are also a big concern,” he said.
Have your say about this! Comment below.
Exactly and the heavy vehicles also use Second avenue in Blancheville to get to the old Middelburg road. All the potholes were repaired recently, but with all the heavy vehicles travelling along this road how long before the road is full of potholes again.