Cape Town - Demolition of houses in South Road to make way for a new MyCiTi bus route in Wynberg began on Tuesday. Along Rotherfield Road, one of the streets branching off South Road, three homes were being stripped by contractors and the Cape Argus was told bulldozing would probably begin at the end of the week.
For Wynberg Residents’ and Ratepayers’ Association chairwoman Kristina Davidson it’s a sad moment. Her organisation has butted heads with the city, and despite the fact that the demolition of a further 33 buildings is now looking inevitable, she still thinks the expanded route is an absurd idea. “It just doesn’t make sense… The city keeps telling us that the housing shortage is due to a lack of space, and now they are knocking over perfectly good homes for a road to nowhere.”
Residents occupying city-owned homes along the road have been given until the end of the month to move out. By the end of last month, 26 families still lived in the houses.
Davidson said the expanded road would divide the area, making it difficult for residents to reach schools and shops on the other side as they would be forced to “effectively cross a four-lane highway”.
The ratepayers’ association said the proposed MyCiTi route would include a new four-lane road, a bridge or subway to cross the railway line and turn Main Road into a one-way road between Wetton and Kemms roads.
“The route is not an integrated rapid transit route as it does not connect to the public transport interchanges,” said the association last month.
The groups have proposed alternatives from Ottery and Wetton roads that would not require the demolition of houses or affect businesses.
Cameron Dugmore, ANC MPL said: “It would seem that the proposals to use Wetton or Broad roads make a lot of sense and the costs would be substantially less.”
But Brett Herron, mayoral committee member for transport, said it would be “absurd” to suggest the city now consider other road options.
“The alternative proposals had already been considered as part of the planning for Phase 2. They are not viable for BRT for all of the reasons I have explained before. These include a most important fact which is we do not have a road reserve large enough on any other road that would give us access to Wynberg CBD.
“We don’t own properties on those roads and would not only have to proclaim a new road reserve, we would probably have to expropriate servitudes or properties from the owners,” he said earlier.
Cape Argus