Shoddy roads: It’s too dangerous to drive in Jansen Park
Residents of Jansen Park have complained bitterly about the deplorable condition of the roads in their neighbourhood, which, they said, left many drivers with mechanical service bills amounting to thousands of Rand.
The concerned residents complain that the roads they are forced to traverse daily, including Sydney Road, are in a poor state of repair, and their desperate, repeated pleas to the metro have been met with a rebuff.
Several roads in the area are riddled with potholes, which are often waterlogged, making it particularly dangerous for motorists, and at night they are even more dangerous.
Preshen Naidoo is one resident who raised concern over the poor condition of the roads, stating that Sydney Road seems to be the worst affected.
Many residents, including Naidoo, said they have spent months begging the metro to fix a stretch of Sydney Road which is riddled with deep holes and muddy areas that have caused damage to vehicles, to no avail.
“I don’t know why it’s taking so long for the problem to be fixed; I have been sending emails to the metro since last year,” he said.
Naidoo furnished the Advertiser with a series of reference numbers residents have received from the municipality regarding their complaints about the roads, as well as street lights that are not working; the first was lodged more than six months ago.
On April 13, Naidoo again sent an email to the metro demanding to know as to why it took officials so long to react to the complaints.
Still, no action has been forthcoming.
The fed-up Naidoo vowed that he would not leave the matter at that.
He claimed that the potholes have damaged his car and he was considering taking legal action against the municipality.
The furious resident even offered to fix the road himself, before innocent people were killed, then recoup the expenses involved.
Ward 22’s Clr Benno Robinson said he is aware of the poor road conditions in the area and has, for a while, been trying to get the municipality to repair them.
“Although I haven’t received any complaints from Jansen Park residents, I’m aware that some of the roads in my ward, including those in Jansen Park, are in a poor state of repair and need to be repaired urgently,” he said.
Robinson claims that his efforts to get the relevant officials to attend to the matter urgently have failed.
“I put pressure on officials almost on a daily basis – unfortunately their reaction is very slow,” he explained.
”As a ward councillor I report such problems to the relevant officials and can only rely on their cooperation.”
Robinson mentioned that the mayor had also promised to deal with the pothole issue a while ago, but that the problem still persists.
He urged the disgruntled residents to contact him, so that he can assist them.
His cellphone number is 083 630 4872, or send an email to benno.robinson@ekurhuleni.gov.za
Council workers were seen patching potholes in Rigg Road and a stretch of Rietfontein, in Jansen Park, a couple of months. It is, however, unclear why the other damaged roads were not repaired.
Written questions emailed to the metro weeks ago were unanswered at the time of going to press. – @FanieFLK
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