Goodwood’s roads and pavements are in a poor state and need urgent repairs, says a civic leader.
James Ellis, the chairman of Glenwood Neighbourhood Watch, is so upset about the state of the roads in Goodwood that he wrote to mayor Dan Plato and Premier Alan Winde asking for something to be done.Â
He says the roads and pavements are deteriorating by the day.Â
The issue has been tabled at the ratepayers’ and ward committee meetings in the past, says Mr Ellis, who is also a Goodwood Residents’ and Ratepayers (GRRA) committee member and a representative of the local ward committee.
Goodwood ward councillor Cecile Janse van Rensburg said she had sent the City a list of roads needing attention. However, she did not say which those roads are.
The roads would be resurfaced when there was a budget for the work, she said, but she did not say when that might be.
Mr Ellis said he wanted to know the average lifespan of residential roads and when those in Goodwood had last been inspected and resurfaced.Â
At the GRRA meeting, on Thursday January 30, Kruschev Nkuku, of Townsend Estate in Goodwood, blamed heavy trucks for the damage to residential roads. He said the trucks should be restricted from using the roads at certain times.
Roads in neighbouring Monte Vista were being resurfaced and he asked why that wasn’t also happening in Goodwood.Â
The association’s media liaison, Lynda Smith said Monte Vista had a very active community and she encouraged Goodwood residents to log calls about roads in poor condition and get reference numbers.
Mr Ellis said Milton Road, especially between the Goodwood Rugby Club and Goodwood Sport Club, needed urgent attention as part of the road surface was collapsing under the weight of heavy traffic.
Frans Conradie Drive, between Alice Street, also had heavy traffic.
Other roads in poor state include De Wet Street, Goodwood Street, Merriman Road, Betsie Verwoerd Street and Riebeeck Street. However, Mr Ellis said all roads in Goodwood were in a poor state.
Northern News found the general state of Goodwood roads to be poor, with surface cracks and patches, missing tar and bumpy uneven surfaces.
There is a shortage of drop kerbs at traffic lights and many pavements appear to be missing.
The City’s district manager for roads and stormwater Jeanine Du Preez responded to Mr Ellis’s email, saying a residential road’s design life was 20 years, but that depended on many factors and it could be extended with maintenance.
Responding to Mr Ellis’s concern that the City was neglecting Goodwood while “milking it” to support other areas, Ms Du Preez’s email says the overall need for funding to maintain the City’s roads far exceeds available budget.
“Distribution of funds towards rehab-and-seal projects are (sic) not based on percentage split per area or sub-council, but in accordance with a priority list based on the surface condition of the road (crocodile cracks/rideability of the road) and the condition of the layer works.”
Mayoral committee member for Transport Felicity Purchase said the transport directorate was checking the City’s pavements, including those in Goodwood, and doing repairs where needed.
Mr Ellis said there were many potholes in the area that could damage people’s cars, but according to Ms Du Preez they are attended to as soon as they are identified or reported. This can be done at 080 065 6463, 24/7 toll-free from a landline or cellphone or email transport.Info@capetown.gov.za or 0860 103 089. .  Â