Watch as drivers negotiate tricky potholes on Boksburg’s roads
The stretch of the road at the entrance of the Reiger Park Civic Centre has become a menace to drivers, with dozens of potholes that pop up in the area time after time, damaging cars and at times making the stretch of the road almost impassable.
A number of roads in Boksburg are in a terrible state, but the pothole-riddled Leon Ferreira Road in Reiger Park remains a nightmare.
This is a busy main road which can be found when entering Reiger Park from Commissioner Street next to Oos Rand railway station, and it snakes through the township to Drommedaris Primary School.
Drivers have had to negotiate huge waterlogged potholes to get to the local public amenities, work and their homes.
Many drivers were seen taking evasive action to avoid hitting the giant holes, with those who apparently know the area driving up onto the grass embankments and others using the nearby petrol station as a public thoroughfare.
Ward 34 councillor Charlie Crawford said municipal road workers are constantly sent out to the affected area to fill up the potholes, but the problem persists.
The Advertiser has also, after receiving a number of complaints about the state of the road, visited the area and found that the stretch of the road at the entrance of the civic centre was in an exceptionally poor state, making driving on it a near nightmarish experience.
Crawford said he had already reported the problem to authorities who have promised to resolve it urgently. A few days later, the Advertiser returned to the area to check if the metro has fulfilled its promises.
It was found that the potholes were all patched, but not long after that, the potholes appeared again.
On April 24, workers returned to the same spot and again filled up all the potholes, but the community is still not happy.
Both the residents and their ward councillor, Crawford, said the reoccurrence of the potholes is a clear indication that the metro’s reactive ‘patch and dash’ approach doesn’t work.
“The road gets repaired, but a few days later it’s back to how it was. What they are doing is only a temporary fix to a long-term problem,” said Crawford.
Crawford said they should resurface the stretch of road properly. “Council keeps on fixing the potholes individually and in a hurry, so when the rain and cold winter come, they break down again. It’s just a waste of time and money,” said Crawford, adding that he shares the same frustration of motorists because he also drives on this road every day when he comes to work at the civic centre.
This publication has discovered that a number of the city’s main roads are already in a poor state of repair with potholes, damaged stormwater drains and theft of manhole covers adding to the plight of the city’s infrastructure.
- Residents name and shame damaged road
Concerned residents took to Facebook to name and shame damaged roads in the city and vent their anger about Leon Ferreira Road and its many potholes. Others sent images to the community’s Facebook page.
Sinovia Novie Cochrane shared this image with the community Facebook group, adding: “My community, here is a solution to our pothole problem.”
Sandra Hanslo Magerman took this picture of the potholes on Leon Ferreira Road, adding: “This is what I’m talking about. One of our main entrances into Reiger Park is disgusting and has been like that for almost a month.”
No comment had been received from the metro at the time of going to press.
How to claim for damage to your car caused by a pothole
https://boksburgadvertiser.co.za/236364/how-to-claim-for-damages-from-the-municipality/
