OPINION | Our patched, potholed roads need a major overhaul

Buffalo City Metro’s road network has, over the decades, steadily deteriorated to the point that many roads are now downright dangerous.

The recent torrential rains further undermined the ragged potholes which now resemble moon craters.

In some areas, taxi drivers have resorted to driving on pavements to avoid the wear and tear on their vehicles caused by the potholed roads.

And so the taxis dodge the potholes and pedestrians have to dodge the taxis. No-one feels safe.

At other times, drivers feel safer swerving into oncoming traffic rather than plunging into the unknown depths of water-filled potholes.

So, it’s obviously good news for residents to see BCM burning the midnight oil in a bid to fill potholes on some of the busiest and worst-affected roads.

But we all know that it will probably take just one more deluge to undo this patchwork quilt.

Filling potholes on these degraded roads has become a Sisyphean exercise in futility.

The roads need a major overhaul.

Patched potholes tend to allow rainwater to seep in and erode the underlying layers of gravel and earth, causing the pothole to reform and expand into something bigger and deeper and with more sharp bits of tar to tear tyres.

BCM reportedly has 1,350km of gravel roads and 1,600km of surfaced roads to maintain.

Surely each year it plans and budgets to systematically manage and maintain this grid?

Without periodic scheduled and routine maintenance, it is inevitable that our roads will reach a crisis point during the rainfall season.

The same goes for drainage.

The SA National Road Agency recognises the importance of having and maintaining good stormwater drainage if road surfaces are to remain good.

If water sits on roads or flows over them, it contributes to the erosion of the underlying surface, leading to more collapse.

But culverts in the metro are more often than not clogged with grass, weeds and litter that block drainage and lead to the flooding of roads.

Again, it is simply a question of planning and budgeting more carefully. 

It is vital for our provincial economy that the road network is not allowed to follow the fate of rail.

Not only will it benefit road maintenance but mowing and cleaning the areas around the culverts will make our tired-looking inner-city areas more attractive.

In BCM’s defence, it doesn’t help that people are forced to increasingly rely for transport on the truck industry.

With the collapse of large areas of the rail network, particularly in this province, heavy-duty trucks are taking a heavy toll on the roads.

It is vital for our provincial economy that the road network is not allowed to follow the fate of rail.

It is great to see BCM out and about filling potholes.

But this should be happening in different areas every day of the week, not just after rains.

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