It’s pleasing to know that our esteemed mayor is satisfied with the progress and functioning of the metro.
Gazing down from his lofty office wearing expensive rose-tinted glasses everything appears (to him) to be peachy.
Well, let’s share some of the major problems on the ground floor that are everyday occurrences.
We begin with potholes. Of course, they are repaired when reported. However, the hasty repair job generally doesn’t last and in many cases not compacted properly, leaving an uneven road surface.
The question is, we know roads don’t last forever so how come general road maintenance/resurfacing are not carried out regularly – to prevent potholes? And the reason for flooding on many roads after a rainstorm?
Then we have regular malfunctioning traffic lights. Maybe the metro executive should get up early and travel on the severely congested roads and experience what we have to – every day!
Surely a major upgrade is a priority. Are traffic impact studies ever carried out or is the simple answer to all situations install more traffic lights thus creating more congestion?
We understand that theft of cables is the major reason why street lights don’t work. Fixing the latter therefore does not make the cause go away. Cape Town metro has a very effective copper theft squad. What’s our answer to the problem?
Let’s point out a financial fact – you cannot rob Peter to pay Paul. Peter soon gets upset and ducks. Applying this rule businesses and residents will move away eroding the metro’s tax base.
How come the metro keeps writing off billions in supposedly uncollectable debt? And then we obviously have to cover the latter via increased rates etc.
So Mr Mayor, we don’t get value for our money and it’s not going as great as you preach to us.
