Three years to fix traffic lights in South Africa’s richest city

The Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport (GDRT) has launched a drive to repair and modernise the province’s traffic lights, which it expects to take 36 months to complete.

After appointing contractors last month, the department has intensified repairs, restoration, maintenance, and upgrades of traffic signals at priority intersections across the provincial road network.

The priority intersections identified by the department include several in the Greater Johannesburg area and Ekurhuleni, but exclude Pretoria and surrounds.

Roads and Transport MEC Kedibone Diale-Tlabela said the programme will be implemented over the next 36 months, focusing on restoring vandalised infrastructure, modernising existing traffic signals, and strengthening their protection and management.

Of the more than 4,500 signalised intersections in the province, the Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport is responsible for only 547.

Contractors have already started restoration work at several priority intersections, and further interventions are planned and scheduled across key development corridors and strategic routes.

According to the department, the programme represents a significant ongoing effort to modernise the province’s traffic signal infrastructure.

This is being done through the latest technology and by addressing persistent challenges of cable theft, infrastructure vandalism, illegal connections, and damage caused by vehicle collisions.

As part of the province’s efforts, the MEC appealed to the public to play an active role in protecting its road infrastructure.

She added that public infrastructure theft and vandalism place an unnecessary financial burden on the province’s finances through costly repairs and restoration.

“As the Department undertakes this restoration programme, we are calling on all road users, communities, motorists, bikers, cyclists, pedestrians and runners to stand with us in protecting these critical assets,” the MEC said.

“If you see or witness suspicious activity, theft or vandalism, kindly report it to the authorities for immediate action.”

Diale-Tlabela added that criminal acts targeting road infrastructure directly impact communities and commuters.

“These criminal acts affect every commuter, every motorist and every community that depends on safe and reliable roads and public transport systems,” concluded the MEC 

Bad news for Pretoria

Despite the department announcing a province-wide campaign to modernise its critical intersections, it has omitted the problematic intersections in the capital and its surrounds.

The MEC confirmed a list of priority intersections across the province, which are all located either in the greater Johannesburg area or Ekurhuleni.

Work to repair and modernise intersections in the City of Johannesburg and surrounds will start with the following critical intersections:

• Cedar Road and Fourways
• R59 and Swartkoppies South
• Winnie Mandela Drive and Kingfisher
• Kliprivier and JG Strydom
• Christiaan de Wet and Hendrik Potgieter Road (Quarterlink)
• Christiaan de Wet and John Vorster
• Christiaan de Wet and Paul Kruger/Scott Avenue
• Hendrik Potgieter and Doreen/Peter Roads
• Hendrik Potgieter and Falls (Pleasure Resort)
• Hendrik Potgieter and Handicap Road
• Hendrik Potgieter and Jim Fouche Road
• Hendrik Potgieter and Nic Diederichs Boulevard

Alongside these, the City of Ekurhuleni will find the following intersections along R23 (Heidelberg Road) currently under construction or repair:

• R23 North and N12 (Benoni)
• R23 South and N12 (Benoni)
• R23 and Bessie Hein (next to Makro – Brakpan)
• R23 and Mall@Carnival (Brakpan)
• R23 and Viking (Brakpan)
• R23 and Elsburg (Boksburg)

While these intersections will be repaired over the next three years, Pretoria and Centurion continue to grapple with failing traffic signals.

Several high-traffic areas in South Africa’s capital and surrounds currently lack working traffic lights as a result of vandalism and infrastructure theft.

In Centurion, the situation is so severe that traffic lights at key intersections are being replaced with stop signs to keep them from being stolen.

It remains to be seen if the Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport’s efforts to repair and modernise road infrastructure will move further north.