CoJ working on plan to address vandalism of traffic lights, fix malfunctioning ones - Morero

JOHANNESBURG - The mayor of Johannesburg, Dada Morero, said that the city has been battling the vandalism of traffic lights in various parts of the metro.

This follows concerns suggesting that the municipality was not doing enough to repair dysfunctional traffic lights.

Speaking at a media briefing in the CBD on Monday, Morero announced that a plan was being made to address the issue.

Morero said there’s a new syndicate that has been vandalising traffic lights and stealing copper cables.

"One of the major problems we are experiencing is vandalism. You fix it today, and three days later you are back to square one. Either the SIM card or copper has been stolen and the traffic light has been cut at the bottom, making it useless."

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But he said that a plan was in the works to fix the problem of malfunctioning traffic lights.

"There is a proposed model that we are trying to work on as it relates to traffic lights. We just need the teams to finalise it but the model involves bringing on board private sector investments through advertising companies that we think can help us manage traffic lights better."

Morero said an agreement had been made with the Johannesburg Metro Police to help manage traffic during the morning and evening rush hours at all major intersections in the city.