AA urges municipalities to list broken traffic lights before elections
AA urges municipalities to list broken traffic lights before elections
Online

The Automobile Association of South Africa (AA) is calling on municipalities to publish lists of broken traffic lights and streetlights, with reference numbers and repair dates, ahead of the November

CEO Bobby Ramagwede wants urgent repairs prioritised on routes to polling stations, warning that broken traffic lights and streetlights put motorists and pedestrians at risk.

Voters walking to and from polling stations, particularly after dark, should not have to contend with unsafe intersections and poorly lit roads.

He says National Transport Month is an opportunity for government to address these problems before voter’s head to the polls, with municipalities publishing their fault lists now and updating them weekly.

“We should consider all the elements of transport. Not only how we get around, but what we get around on, and the attributes that facilitate that movement,” he says.

Broken lights frustrate motorists

In July, Daily Maverick reported that Kariega businessman Jevon Dyer had loaded about five broken traffic lights onto a trailer and dumped them outside the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality’s customer care office.

The lights outside his shop in Caledon Street had been out for months.

Dyer told the publication he had witnessed several accidents and near misses at the intersection.

“I thought, why not? I was just tired,” he said.

According to Daily Maverick, the lights were still lying outside the municipal building about a week later.

Ramagwede says broken infrastructure also costs motorists money, particularly when they are stuck in traffic burning fuel.

“It’s bad enough that South Africans have to pay more than 30 rand a litre for fuel, being diesel or petrol, but to sit in traffic burning that fuel because traffic is not moving is a point that we’re highlighting,” he says.

Days after Dyer’s protest, the metro’s political head for roads and transport, Yolisa Pali-Jongilanga, told a council committee that repeated vandalism and cable theft were making repairs increasingly difficult.

She said cables on the M17 had been stripped just seven weeks after repairs.

“We cannot afford to continuously repair the same traffic lights every three months due to repeated acts of vandalism,” Pali-Jongilanga said. “It almost seems as though we are feeding the thieves each time we do repairs.”

Pedestrians face safety risks

Ramagwede warns that broken streetlights and traffic signals increase the danger for people travelling on foot.

“The continuation of dysfunctional streetlights and dysfunctional traffic signalling mechanisms is going to result in heightened risk for both pedestrians and motorists,” he says.

“Who pays the price right now is unfortunately the person who walks on the street.”

One resident, Nomkhosi Magwaza, raised concerns on Facebook about drivers failing to respect pedestrians at four-way stops.

“Some drivers don’t respect pedestrians at a four-way stop. They drive crazy, and you have to beg to go across the road,” she said.

The AA advises motorists to treat non-functioning traffic lights as four-way stops and obey stop signs where signals have been replaced.

Pedestrians should wear reflective or light-coloured clothing, carry a torch or use their phone’s light, and walk facing oncoming traffic where there is no pavement.

The organisation is also encouraging voters to set up its AA Armed Response service through the MyAA app, allowing users to call for armed response to their location.

However, Ramagwede says this cannot replace government’s responsibility to maintain public infrastructure.

“Organisations like the AA provide solutions like our on-demand armed response, but that should not be a product that fixes the issues that are created and maintained by government,” he says.

Broken lights cost motorists money

Ramagwede says fixing faulty traffic signals would help motorists save fuel and improve safety.

He is also urging employers to consider adjusted shifts, transport arrangements or lift clubs for staff travelling in the dark.

Residents should report faulty lights to municipalities, keep reference numbers and alert authorities to suspicious activity