Dr Alan Jansen, Diep River
I have watched over many months the never-ending construction going on in the Bergvliet/Constantia area.
Week by week I have been amazed as perfectly good pavements get torn up and redone.
It all oozes of extravagance like the case of New Kendal Road where an extra wide pavement or bicycle path was constructed and next thing, a new pavement is constructed on the opposite side of the street? Was this really necessary?
The real extravagance was the face-brick inserts in the tarred pavements? Was this necessary or was it just to add extras to the contract value?
The mayor appears to have forgotten her roots, so I want to ask the newly appointed “mini-mayor” for the southern peninsula, Eddie Andrews, to respond and specifically, to answer the following questions seeing that he grew up in communities that lack basic amenities:
1. What is the value and extent of this contract?
2. How can we justify this extravagant expenditure when the majority of communities lack basic services, ranging from clean water, sufficient toilet facilities, safe play areas for their children, no roads?
* Eddie Andrews, Mayoral committee member for area south, responds:
This is a non-motorised transport contract and is valued at R61 million including VAT.
The cost also covers some road and stormwater maintenance that is necessary as well as the installation of traffic lights at three intersections: Kendal and Spaanschemat River Road, Kendal and Edison, Kendal and M3 off-ramp.
The contract has a dual purpose -construction of wider footways and /or footways with the cycle lanes on the road.
Road widening has been done in some places to achieve sufficient road width to accommodate cyclists safely and there has been no removal of existing footways as claimed.
The facilities are on both sides of the road and is to avoid conflict. The brick inserts on the shared facility are a hard landscaping idea to improve visual impact.
A high number of cyclists and runners utilise these roads, specifically on Spaanschemat and Steenberg roads. The cycle lanes will encourage the use of non-motorised transport and improve safety.
