The Ekurhuleni metro and the Gauteng department of Roads and Transport have partnered to curb this problem with the construction of a new road that boasts five demarcated taxi stop areas to allow taxi drivers to pick and drop off commuters safely.
Speaking recently during the opening of the newly constructed Putfontein Road near the N12 Highway, Member of Mayoral Committee (MMC) responsible for Roads and Transport, Clr Thumbu Mahlangu, says this abrupt stopping by taxi drivers endangers the lives of passengers, motorists and pedestrians, resulting in either deaths or accidents.
“Blaming taxi drivers for such calamities, without having provided them with well-constructed roads with demarcated taxi stop areas, is not a solution,” explained Mahlangu.
The newly-constructed road is said to have cost R18-million.
The 2 450km road further links to the N12 and is set to become a key economic factor, with trucks transporting goods already using it.
“We are very pleased with the road, because it has also created about 89 jobs and we appeal to residents of Chief Albert Luthuli to take good care of it. Residents have a democratic right to protest but not to burn tyres on the roads,” said Mahlangu.
Echoing his sentiments, Gauteng MEC for Roads and Transport Ismail Vadi explained that a pothole begins with a small opening resulting from a tyre burn, then during the rainy seasons it develops into a pothole.
