Johannesburg: Should the Roads Agency fix potholes in gated communities?

The Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) received an enquiry last week about whether or not the entity are responsible for road management inside gated communities.

The enquiry was made after a series of potholes were reported along Baker Street inside the St Audley Road gated community in Bryanston.

JRA spokesperson Bertha Peters-Scheepers was asked to clarify if roads inside gated communities were the property of the JRA.

The cases varied, she said, and depended on whether a road falls within a gated community, or a private estate.

“The JRA is responsible for maintaining council-owned roads and as such, the JRA is responsible for maintaining roads inside gated communities,” Peters-Scheepers told the Sandton Chronicle.

“Privately-owned gated private estate roads are not maintained by the JRA as the roads fall outside our jurisdiction.”

GATED COMMUNITIES VERSUS PRIVATE ESTATES

Gated communities in Johannesburg (and elsewhere in South Africa) typically function by creating enclosed residential areas, usually within established suburbs. Access to these areas is controlled by security personnel or electronic gates.

Private estates on the other hand are housing estates that are developed by private developers, rather than the government.

Peters-Scheepers said residents within gated communities are served by the JRA when complaints are logged by customers.

“In most cases, residents do log service requests and at times service defects are spotted by inspectors while undertaking routine checks,” she said.

Peters-Scheepers has urged residents to be the JRA’s “ears and eyes” on the ground by reporting road-related defects. Communities inside privately-owned estates may request JRA services through a service level agreement.

“Or they may request to have their potholes repaired by their contractor or preferred person via their landlord or developer,” she added.

NEGLECTED NEIGHBOURHOODS

Concerns continue to mount among other Sandton residents regarding the deterioration of their roads. Potholes are not only a daily eyesore in neighbourhoods, but pose safety risks for both drivers and pedestrians.

Some potholes have been so long neglected by municipalities that many have grass growing in them. Read more on that story here.

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