The maintenance budget for the provincial traffic lights will run out before the end of July, leaving motorists and pedestrians in a perilous position, vulnerable to crime and accidents.
This information was revealed during a recent Gauteng Provincial Legislature’s (GPL) Transport, Roads, and Logistics Committee meeting.
This means that for nine months of this financial year, motorists will be at risk of sitting in long queues and have to rely on a pointsman to get safely to their destinations.
This shortfall strikes at the heart of urban mobility, threatening not only the convenience of commuters but also the economic productivity of the region, as prolonged traffic disruptions risk impeding daily business operations.
Non-functioning traffic lights also impact the slow delivery of emergency services and motorists trying to get to work or drop their children to school on time. Workers who are habitually late through no fault of their own are at risk of losing their jobs.
This is another example where the money for service delivery has been squashed by an irrational commitment by Lesufi to pay for e-tolls, a debt for which the province was not liable.
The DA urges the Gauteng MEC for Roads, Transport and Logistics, Kedibone Diale-Thabela and the Head of Department, Thulani Mdadane, to allocate funds to ensure that the province does not become gridlocked. New technology and the assistance of law enforcement would also go a long way to address this ever-escalating problem.
The DA Gauteng will continue to ask questions on the progress of fixing provincial traffic lights in the GPL. We will hold the current government to account and fight for every motorist in Gauteng.
A DA-led Gauteng Provincial Government will ensure that the people they serve are not put in situations that might harm them or make their lives more difficult. We will prioritise addressing the failing budget for traffic lights as a matter of extreme urgency to ensure resident’s safety.