Frustration mounts as traffic worsens

Update

GEORGE NEWS - Frustration with extreme traffic congestion during peak hours on George's main routes has been mounting since George Municipality started with major upgrading works in York and CJ Langenhoven streets, two main entrance routes to the city.

The widening of the Thembalethu bridge in Mandela Boulevard over the N2 has also begun recently.

The simultaneous works are having a significant knock-on effect on traffic flow during peak hours and there has been an outcry on social media from road users questioning whether this has been thoroughly thought through.

Secondary routes such as Plattner Boulevard, Union Street, Witfontein Road (from Blanco into town), and Davidson Road have always carried bumper-to-bumper traffic during peak hours, but the situation is now much worse.

In the CBD, work in Market Street has been ongoing for over a year, also affecting flow on surrounding routes and traffic to and from the schools in the town centre.

Witfontein Road

'Reroute trucks, please'

One motorist told George Herald trucks travelling from the north drive through Davidson Road on to Knysna Road and are aggravating the problem. "Did the municipality even put any thought into this?

Now that the contracts have begun and have to be finished, at least the traffic department should be present, which they weren't this morning (Wednesday). They should now plan and think how to resolve this by at least rerouting some of the trucks. We could cope with this for a week or two, but the construction is going to take months."

Communications chief Chantel Edwards in response said the municipality understands motorists' frustration, but the main reason for not staggering the projects to lessen their impact, is the source of funding, and the time frames in which expenditure must be incurred.

Grant funding has very specific conditions attached, one being the period during which the allocated funding must be spent. If the funding is not used it does not roll over to the next financial year and it is returned to the source.

Mayor Leon van Wyk said the municipality continually pursues other sources of funding to address as many issues as possible and George has been blessed this year with large grant and external allocations, far more than in any other financial year.

"The upgrading of this infrastructure is very costly and for the municipality to fund these upgrades would require many millions that could only be generated by drastically increasing rates and taxes, as the cost would have to be funded by revenue from municipal sources."

The road upgrade projects will utilise funding from three sources over the next three financial years, including George Integrated Public Transport Network (GIPTN) funding, the municipality's own budget, and municipal infrastructure grant (MIG) funding, as well as in the case of the York Street circles, private funding.

The upgrades and circles in York Street are required to accommodate the additional traffic which is expected to be generated by the proposed Mediclinic and residential developments where the crocodile farm was previously situated.

Working swiftly can bring additional funding

Van Wyk said certain government departments work on the premise that if a local municipality achieves a certain expenditure percentage by November/December of the municipal financial year, additional funding may be diverted from under-spending municipalities and additional grant funding can be allocated during the national adjustment budget process.

Funding received from the Western Cape government for the upgrading and maintenance of proclaimed roads (CJ Langenhoven and York streets) must be fully spent by 31 December.

"Achieving expenditure targets, i.e. the percentage of spend achieved on the Public Transport Network Grant Funding projects (Airway, Golf, Market and Tabata streets), places George Municipality in a very good position to receive additional funds during the national adjustment budget process."

Portfolio Councillor for Civil Engineering Services Browen Johnson said the additional income sources have enabled the municipality to upgrade overall infrastructure and pedestrian experience, which ultimately benefits business, promotes investment and improves quality of life.

For the duration of the construction period, traffic officials and point duty officers will be deployed during peak hours, "where possible", to try and assist with traffic flow.

Debbie Thirion Campbell took this photo on Tuesday 16 August on her way to work. It was taken at the top of Plattner Boulevard travelling towards Earl's Court. Traffic backed up all the way past Rundle College.