MyPE

Community Business Directory, Event Listings, News and Views from Gqeberha, Nelson Mandela Bay

No Funding for Road Markings in Sarah Baartman District

By

Dear MyPE

The DA is outraged by the fact that no funding was made available for road markings on provincial roads for the entire Sarah Baartman District. The Sarah Baartman District includes the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro, Blue Crane, Koukamma, Ikwezi, Baviaans, Makana, Kouga, Sunday’s River, Camdeboo & Ndlambe.

The DA will appeal to the MEC: Roads and Public Works to allocate more funding for road signage and road markings in order to ensure that people have access to economic opportunities and roads that are safe and reliable.

Road marking is essential, not just from a law enforcement perspective but also from a safety and information perspective.

Further to this, a budget of only R 150 000 was made available for road signage for the entire Sarah Baartman District. The situation in terms of much needed road signage, which includes, mandatory or regulatory signs, cautionary signs and information signs, is so dire that the officials at the Department of Roads had to be very innovative and request for the old and obsolete signs from SANRAL to be used on Provincial Roads.

It is clear that the safety of road users is not a priority for Government. With the backlog on Provincial Roads currently standing on R 23 Billion and growing every day, with no Infrastructure Master Plan and no plan to address the backlog, something’s got to give. Unfortunately, it is the lives and safety of road users that are being compromised in the process. Road users are being robbed from the freedom to utilise roads that are safe and reliable.

Roads are the life blood of the economy and an essential part of the country’s transport system, roads therefore play a major role in National Development. It is high time that roads maintenance and infrastructure received the attention and budget it deserves.

Regards

Vicky Knoetze

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Alan Straton

Chief Cook, Bottle Washer and Broom Mechanic at MyPE
Passionate about Port Elizabeth and definitely NOT packing for Perth. Alan's ethos is epitomised in the words of Nelson Mandela; "I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the idea of a democratic and free society. If need be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die." See more articles by Alan.