Who is responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of the M9 road between the R44 and Winery Road in Firgrove Rural?
This question is being posed to authorities by motorists who frequent the road and demand that the continuous state of deterioration of the road be addressed as a matter of urgency.
One such motorist, Johan Jooste, who uses the road frequently and resides at the nearby Schonenberg Estate, said the regular occurrence of accidents on the road is highly concerning. “The road is totally breaking apart and routine maintenance only consists of patch ups which don’t last. The state of the road is compounded by heavy vehicles using the road to bypass the N2 weighbridge. A long-term solution is required,” he said.
Like Jooste, several residents at Schonenberg Estate have sent emails and photographic evidence to authorities at the provincial and municipal roads departments.
Suzanne Mostert of the Puddleduck School and Day-care Centre situated along the road has been complaining about the road’s poor condition for many years. She said motorists are suffering with near-daily tyre punctures. “But we never get any feedback from authorities. We’ve even accompanied officials on inspections and pointed out the problem, but nothing has been done in four years.”
She said a woman had a near fatal accident when the car she was travelling in hit a pothole, causing it to overturn about two weeks ago.
“This is just in the last month,” Mostert said. “There are so many terrible incidents, many involving elderly people, on this road because of its poor condition.”
Authority over upkeep is unclear
According to the City of Cape Town, it is responsible for a portion of the road’s upkeep – the portion of Main Road (M9) between Kirkia Street and the R44. The maintenance responsibility of the remainder of the road must clarified with provincial government and the Cape Winelands District Municipality (CWDM), council said.
The most recent statistics, last recorded more than two years ago, show that the total two-way traffic recorded along the road amounted to 1 702 vehicles travelling on the road during the morning peak and 1 666 vehicles in the afternoon peak.
According to the provincial Department of Transport and Public Works (DTPW), the provincial road was previously maintained by the City as a maintenance agent for the department.
“Unfortunately I am not at liberty to share this history publicly, as it is a confidential matter between the Provincial Roads branch and the City. That said, it is acknowledged that you as road user are entitled to be provided with a road that satisfies at least the minimum requirements in respect of level of service, irrespective of any historical complications.”
Maintenance measure short-term
CWDM goes on to state that maintenance actions are of short-term effectiveness as the road has deteriorated to such a condition that renders routine road maintenance ineffective, and that “betterment maintenance” of a higher level is a work in progress, and a commitment to timelines cannot be declared.
Jandré Bakker, DTPW spokesperson said only that the department had sent its own resources and maintenance teams to conduct interim maintenance after the previous winter rains in the area, without expanding on much of the concerns raised by residents. “Maintenance interventions have been identified for this road and it is anticipated it will be implemented in the current Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF),” he said.
Upon enquiry, the CWDM said its Technical Services Department had confirmed it is not responsible for the maintenance of the road in question.
“In the past four years nothing has been done to this road, and all this talk of leaving tax- and ratepaying motorists the victims appears to be no more than a ‘political squabble’,” stated Jooste.
