The Democratic Alliance in the Eastern Cape says it 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.
DA spokesperson for roads and public works in the province Vicky Knoetze said on Sunday the party would appeal to the MEC for Roads and Public Works to allocate more funding for road signage and road markings in order to ensure that people had access to economic opportunities and roads that were safe and reliable.
“Road marking is essential‚ not just from a law enforcement perspective but also from a safety and information perspective‚” Knoetze said.
“Further to this‚” she added‚ “a budget of only R150‚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 was clear that the safety of road users was not a priority for Government‚ Knoetze asserted.
“With the backlog on provincial roads currently standing on R23 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‚” Knoetze stated.
No funds available for road markings in EC district‚ says DA
The Democratic Alliance in the Eastern Cape says it 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.
DA spokesperson for roads and public works in the province Vicky Knoetze said on Sunday the party would appeal to the MEC for Roads and Public Works to allocate more funding for road signage and road markings in order to ensure that people had access to economic opportunities and roads that were safe and reliable.
“Road marking is essential‚ not just from a law enforcement perspective but also from a safety and information perspective‚” Knoetze said.
“Further to this‚” she added‚ “a budget of only R150‚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 was clear that the safety of road users was not a priority for Government‚ Knoetze asserted.
“With the backlog on provincial roads currently standing on R23 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‚” Knoetze stated.
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