MEC for Public Transport and Roads Infrastructure, Jacob Mamabolo, oversees grass-cutting activities along Solomon Mahlangu Drive. Picture: Jacques Naude/African News Agency (ANA)
Pretoria - Statistics indicate that the highest number of road accident victims are pedestrians.
According to Gauteng Public Transport and Road Infrastructure MEC Jacob Mamabolo, this made cutting grass and vegetation crucial because it improved safety and saved lives.
Moreover, he said criminals used overgrown grass and vegetation as a hiding place when pursued by the police and security personnel.
It was with this in mind that Mamabolo led the department to Tshwane to cut grass and vegetation after motorists complained about accidents caused by overgrowth on some busy roads. The team also repaired potholes.
They focused on Jean Avenue and carried out similar work on Solomon Mahlangu Drive and Soutpan Road between Soshanguve and Onderstepoort.
The exercise was done in collaboration with the City of Tshwane.
The work is carried out by a combined team of government officials, private companies, as well small-to-medium-sized enterprises contracted to aid the initiative, while also using the opportunity to create work opportunities and grow their businesses.
Mamabolo said: “The work of grass cutting and managing vegetation must not be trivialised. It is very important work because grass and vegetation affect visibility on the road, and that causes accidents.
“Second, pedestrians get involved in accidents when visibility is low because they too were also not seeing cars.
“So it is very important that for road safety, saving the lives of people, that we make our roads visible. It is also important for smart mobility when it comes to creating the efficient and effective movement of people.
“When there is no visibility accidents can occur at any point. Stray animals can come out of nowhere, and when you try to avoid them you can cause an accident. It is very important that we look at this work as crucial to saving lives, particularly for non-motorised people like pedestrians, cyclists and joggers.
“We would not have enough hands to do this work across the province on our own fast enough. The rainy season is coming so it is good that we have already cut the grass and managed the vegetation.”
He said Soutpan Road needed pothole patching and maintenance as it was a high-capacity road due to a high volume of cars, which linked motorists to Hammanskraal, Eersterust, Mabopane as well as some areas in the North West.
Pretoria News