Grocott's Mail
    Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Monday, May 12
    Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Grocott's Mail
    • NEWS
      • Courts & Crime
      • Features
      • Politics
      • People
      • Health & Well-being
    • SPORT
      • News
      • Results
      • Sports Diary
      • Club Contacts
      • Columns
      • Sport Galleries
      • Sport Videos
    • OPINION
      • Election Connection
      • Makana Voices
      • Deur ‘n Gekleurde Bril
      • Newtown… Old Eyes
      • Incisive View
      • Your Say
    • ARTSLIFE
      • Cue
        • Cue Archives
      • Makana Sharp!
      • Visual Art
      • Literature
      • Food
      • Festivals
      • Community Arts
      • Going Places
    • OUR TOWN
      • What’s on
      • Spiritual
      • Emergency & Well-being
      • Covid-19
      • Safety
      • Civic
      • Municipality
      • Weather
      • Properties
        • Grahamstown Properties
      • Your Town, Our Town
    • OUTSIDE
      • Enviro News
      • Gardening
      • Farming
      • Science
      • Conservation
      • Motoring
      • Pets/Animals
    • ECONOMIX
      • Business News
      • Entrepreneurship
      • Personal Finance
    • EDUCATION
      • Education NEWS
      • Education OUR TOWN
      • Education INFO
    • EDITORIAL
    Grocott's Mail
    You are at:Home»Uncategorized»Traffic lights spell disaster
    Uncategorized

    Traffic lights spell disaster

    Grocott's MailBy Grocott's MailMay 20, 20091 Comment2 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email

    The planned installation of R700 000 traffic lights on Church Square by the municipality has sparked controversy among the public.

    According to old residents of Grahamstown, traffic lights have previously been installed in the same area, but caused so many problems that they were removed.

    The planned installation of R700 000 traffic lights on Church Square by the municipality has sparked controversy among the public.

    According to old residents of Grahamstown, traffic lights have previously been installed in the same area, but caused so many problems that they were removed.

    Thelma Neville, who was a resident at the time, said that pedestrians didn’t wait for their turn to cross and there would be a long queue of cars that formed and this caused a lot of irritation.

    "The traffic lights would stay on so long, you could make a cup of tea by the time it turned green", she said.

    The main concern seems to be pedestrians. Neville pointed out that there is also a four way crossing on New Street which works efficiently as there are no pedestrian crossings.

    Howard Dredge, acting municipal manager at Ndlambe Municipality who worked for Makana Municipality when the robots were placed in Church Square, described the traffic lights as the "biggest disaster under the sun".  

    Safety risk
    Dredge said that the traffic lights helped when the streets were busy, but one could also be waiting at night for fifteen minutes for a green light.

    The main concern seemed to be pedestrians; because of the long wait motorists tended to not stop for the robots at night, which became dangerous for pedestrians who were crossing.

    It was because of this that Dredge was in full support to take down the traffic lights.

    Ernie Rockman, another resident living in Grahamstown at the time, said that he could switch off his engine, while waiting for the lights to turn green.

    Rockman recalled how the area became known as "red square, since people were always waiting for the green light.

    He said that sometimes traffic could be backed up all the way down High Street, even leaving police vans blocked in, which can be dangerous in emergencies.

    However, Rockman also said he felt that if the robots worked on a better timer, they could be a success.  

    Previous ArticleTwitter is here to stay
    Next Article Bear it all for Comrades
    Grocott's Mail

      Comments are closed.

      Code of Ethics and Conduct
      GROCOTT’S SUBSCRIPTION
      RMR
      Listen to RMR


      Humans of Makhanda

      Humans of Makhanda

      Weather    |     About     |     Advertise     |     Subscribe     |     Contact     |     Support Grocott’s Mail

      © 2025 Maintained by School of Journalism & Media Studies.

      Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.