Jan Smuts Avenue’s decrepitude exposed

Published May 27, 2015

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Johannesburg - A walk of shame. That is how Saxonwold ward councillor Tim Truluck and residents described a stroll down Jan Smuts Avenue – the street that claimed the lives of three people when two Metrobuses collided head-on last month.

Truluck said the walk revealed multiple symptoms of urban decay of the road and sidewalk infrastructure. As a result of observations made during the walk, 99 reports have been submitted to the City of Joburg council for resolution.

The walk started from Wells Avenue in Parkwood and ended at Westwold Way at Zoo Lake in Saxonwold.

“Stormwater infrastructure was by far the biggest issue. Just before the crash happened, there had been an intense but short rainfall. Stormwater kerb inlets were generally in poor shape and full of vegetation and litter, which would have contributed to the flooding of the road at the time of the downpour. The reinforced concrete covers were often sunken, mangled or broken,” he said.

Truluck said he could only surmise that below the rubbish in the culverts there must be years of mud and soil, which would block them further.

In many places, vegetation was also growing in the gutters, which would exacerbate flooding.

“Litter was prevalent throughout the walk. Mostly it was packaging bags and other normal litter, but there was also some old building material on the sidewalks.”

The stretch of road concerned is lined by trees.

“Generally, the overhanging branches have been cut away to a height that would allow double-decker buses to pass underneath, but the road is single-lane in both directions and bus drivers have to concentrate on avoiding tree branches on the side of the road in this section. The tree branches also obscured a number of lights,” he said.

Added to this is the fact that a bus stop is dangerously located on a blind corner at Newport Road.

Road markings were generally faded. The centre line was, in places, only just visible. A yellow line along the edge of the road to warn motorists of the proximity of the gutter was also faded, he said.

Crash barriers were generally unpainted and where they were painted, the paint was faded.

The crash barriers from the bus accident have still not been repaired. Shattered windscreens and other detritus (including a dry wreath) mark where the accident happened and had not been cleared by the date of the walk – over three weeks since the accident occurred. It was revealed that 17 of the 45 street lights were not working. This included all 14 lights from Dudley Road to Wells Avenue.

“This created a dangerous poorly lit stretch of about 700m,” said Truluck.

For pedestrians, generally the sidewalk was uneven, there were open manholes, no pedestrian crossings except at the traffic lights at Wells Avenue, and the pedestrian crossing traffic light was not working.

There was a considerable amount of illegal signage and stickers.

Truluck said the bus crash was an accident waiting to happen and would be just one of many more by both Metrobus and private vehicles.

He said each ward had an urban inspector who should drive around and report faults. They log issues, co-ordinate raids and visits, keep track of all the problems and make sure the problems are resolved.

“But in reality, they are often given two or more wards to cover on a system that is cumbersome to use and doesn’t interface with the other entities. Most problems are not resolved,” he said.

The city says it has taken note of the concerns raised by the councillor.

City spokesman Nthatisi Modingoane said a Johannesburg Roads Agency team would be sent to inspect the area and work would be scheduled and prioritised based on the inspection findings.

Maintenance work in each region is scheduled on a rotation basis, but the strike by SA Municipal Workers Union employees during March resulted in a backlog of maintenance. However, the issues identified would be scheduled for completion before the end of next month.

Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo (JCPZ) inspected the site on Monday and it was found that, generally, the trees were sufficiently pruned. The trees tend, however, to droop during the rainy season and this could lead to pockets of obstruction.

A further inspection found the street lights along this stretch were not obscured by the trees, he said.

There are no pending requests from Metrobus for the pruning of trees along Jan Smuts Avenue, however JCPZ is amenable to feathering tree tops and lopping branches to ensure commuter safety, he said.

Furthermore, City Power will dispatch technicians to attend to the street lights and Pikitup will attend to litter problems in the area.

The Star

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