The Johannesburg Road Agency (JRA) says it needs approximately R5.7 million to address the repair of vandalised traffic lights, a situation exacerbated by cable theft leading to power failures.
According to Sipho Nhlapo from the agency, cable theft significantly contributes to the malfunctioning of traffic lights.
Nhlapo explained, “We have a backlog now in terms of theft and vandalism of about 200 signal intersections, that’s 10% of our total population of traffic lights. But the problem is not only theft and vandalism; also during the festive season, people get a bit happier, and they start driving over our traffic lights. You’ll see a lot of them, actually cars having bumped them and damaged them. So we tend to find those combinations of challenges during that period.”
Nhlapo emphasised that the majority of vandalism occurs during the festive season when the city is relatively quiet.
What is the state of traffic lights and roads in Johannesburg?
