Following various community members highlighting the issue, the bridge on Allen Street has become a cause of concern. This comes as a pothole situated on the bridge is steadily growing larger and deeper. On top of this, the road is slowly cracking around the pothole.
Opting to remain anonymous, one resident explained that he travelled along the bridge almost daily and that it was an accident waiting to happen.
“It is getting progressively worse, and people are either hitting it or swerving out of the way to avoid it. Swerving out of the way on the bridge poses serious risks, as there is the risk of hitting a pedestrian on one side or hitting another vehicle on the other side,” stated the resident. He further pointed out that those responsible for the condition of Newcastle’s roads would surely have used the road and realised something needed to be done.
Another resident emphasised that the pothole’s location on the bridge should prompt rapid action from the Newcastle Municipality, especially considering the cracking road surface around it. “Something needs to be done before it compromises the safety of the entire bridge,” the resident stressed.
Addressing the concerns, Newcastle Municipality’s Faizel Cassim pledged to take up the matter with the respective department to ensure prompt prioritisation.
Looking at the condition of local roads and potholes overall, Cassim explained the Newcastle Municipality was slowly chipping away at the problem. “We have basically covered the residential areas. While it is not 100% yet, we are strategically focusing on the larger potholes first,” he explained.
Additionally, he noted that while potholes were a cause of concern, the Municipality had reduced the number of potholes in town. “There were more than 1 500 potholes in Newcastle, but the number has been dropped,” he assured.
While the Newcastle Municipality worked on resolving the problem, he highlighted that residents could play an essential role in seeing the problem resolved. “Our collection rate from the community has dropped and the Municipality is owed over R1 billion by residents. Newcastle East owes the most to the Newcastle Municipality, but there are businesses in Newcastle West who also owe the Municipality. In Newcastle West, the collection rate is approximately 82%. If everyone pays their monthly accounts, we can restore Newcastle to its former glory,” he stressed.
In the meantime, Cassim noted that plans to improve revenue collection were underway to enhance service delivery, including road repairs, in Newcastle.
With assurances being made to address the growing hole on the Allen Street Bridge, alongside other potholes, what are your thoughts on the above? Share your views in the comment section below.
2 Responses
How is it possible that there are some people owing the municipality such exorbitant amounts of money.The amounts in question are amounts way above the average of similar consumers,therefore it has to be assumed that the amount owed is not just for one month but most probably for a few months in succession. How is it possible for some people to run up such high accounts?If I don’t pay mine on time,my service gets disconnected very quickly and I then need to pay an excessively high reconnecting fee,in spite of the fact that the municipality is in possession of a deposit paid to them at first connection. Where is the fairness in this?What is the purpose of having to pay a deposit? If every household has paid a deposit of let’s say R500,which I think is way below the amount requested by the municipality at present,just think of the large amount of money the municipality can put into their account drawing interest on it without having to do one cents’ worth of anything to earn that money. I would rather have that money(my money) in my account instead of being in theirs.
Bloody thieves everywhere…
Now it’s our fault again…
Useless inept people running newcastle into a sewer.