Cape Town - The absence of street lighting on part of the N2 has been attributed to the City and the South African National Road Agency Limited’s N1-N2 Winelands Toll Road project court battle.
Mayoral committee member for transport Brett Herron said nothing had stopped Sanral from doing maintenance work along any part of the highways or installing street lights to improve safety.
Herron’s statement followed a briefing about improving safety measures along a 26km stretch of the N2 between Jakes Gerwel Drive and the Firgrove off-ramp near Somerset West.
Nine kilometres of the road were the province’s responsibility and 17km Sanral’s. It emerged at the briefing that 9km of Sanral’s section of the road had no lighting.
Asked when this stretch would get lights, Sanral representative Randall Cable said the agency was focused on its court case with the City.
Sanral’s Winelands Toll Road project had been placed on hold in 2012 when the City challenged its financial viability.
Court papers showed tolls would be 84.5c/km for light vehicles, compared to 30c/km charged by the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project.
A Western Cape High Court interdict granted to the City in May 2013 prevented Sanral from continuing with its proposed tolling of the N1 and N2 until the finalisation of the City’s review application.
The City’s application was heard in August; judgment was reserved.
‘FULFILL YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES’
“Sanral must stop blaming the City of Cape Town for neglecting to undertake much-needed road maintenance along the N1 and N2 freeways,” Herron said.
“I want to urge Sanral to fulfil its responsibilities towards the residents of the Western Cape, and to maintain these freeways as the residents of Cape Town and this province are also contributing to the funds that Sanral receives from the national government each year.”
Sanral spokesperson Vusi Mona hit back on Sunday, saying it was outrageous and shameful that the City was accusing it of using the interdict as an excuse not to do repair work on the roads.
Over the past five years there had been more than 10 500 crashes on Cape Town’s highways, 528 involving pedestrians.
Sanral spent about R250 000 a month repairing vandalised fences, Mona said.
“There is nothing cheap about this so-called publicity stunt unless one regards human life as cheap,” Mona said.
“The reality is that safe and appropriate road infrastructure is simply not keeping pace with this demand.
“Instead the City has opted for a legal battle that only benefits short-term political ambitions.”
The City’s interdict against Sanral was ill-conceived, Mona said.
“Goodwill, common sense and sticking to the facts of a matter are vital ingredients in any attempt at solving a problem when different parties are involved,” Mona said.
“Unfortunately, neither is present in the approach of the City of Cape Town on the vexed question of road safety along major routes in the province.”
Cape Times