Uproar over Qumza roadworks
Residents up in arms as upgrade affects community
CHAOS emanating from the closure of a section of Qumza Highway for road upgrades earlier this month has left many Mdantsane residents and visitors to the area fuming.
Residents, motorists and commuters complain that alternative routes are not signposted and are in appalling condition, and they have raised fears about the high risk of accidents that could occur in the narrow street detours between the houses.
A section of the busy road which runs through the heart of Mdantsane was closed off after Buffalo City Metro announced the start of a R117million project whereby the highway would be expanded.
The project is due for completion in November next year.
Disgruntled residents who spoke to the Daily Dispatch yesterday said they were not consulted before the project started and pedestrians were not catered for.
“We are seriously concerned about our safety, especially those of us who use buses to get to work,” said Mbuyiselo Figlan.
“There are no road signs [indicating further detours] and bus drivers literally have to [drive] around trying to navigate through the township.”
The township does not have street names. NU12 resident Sithembile Kose said residents no longer felt safe as vehicles that previously used the highway now drove on streets between their houses.
“Our streets are small, there are no pavements to accommodate the pedestrians who now have to move aside for cars to drive through,” said Kose. “We feel like they should have fixed the streets before diverting traffic to already damaged streets full of potholes and no pavements.
“The streets are very busy now with the small taxis and Quantums, trucks and buses speeding through.” Other concerned residents urged BCM to build temporary speed humps on the alternative routes to minimise accident chances.
BCM spokesman Samkelo Ngwenya said road signs were in place advertising the alternative routes. “However, motorists are taking shortcuts [instead of using] alternative routes and end up driving between houses.”
“We urge people to follow the main [detour] road signage. It would be unwise to put signs in between domestic routes as we want people to stick to the demarcated routes, especially heavy duty vehicles.”
Asked about fixing potholes in the area, Ngwenya said the issue of road maintenance was part of the project, but he did not say if there were specific plans to fix the potholes.
“Before we embarked on this massive project which will change the face of Mdantsane, we broadly consulted key stakeholders like taxis and businesses precisely because we are very much aware of the impact any construction has on those it touches.
“We continue to urge our people to bear with us, to be patient in affording us the opportunity to transform the Qumza Highway and unlock the socio-economic potential of this historic township,” said Ngwenya.
Mdantsane East London Taxi Association (Melta) spokesman Welile Blayi said there was little drivers could do about the problems.
“Things like potholes, lack of speed humps and other problems are an inconvenience and we are experiencing them but we don’t have a choice now but to be patient,” said Blayi. —