DURBAN - What has happened regarding the proposed rehabilitation of provincial road M13 between Pinetown and Hillcrest, including the “notorious” Field’s Hill section?
Following a spate of accidents involving fatalities the provincial MEC for roads, and I think also the premier, made statements that as a matter of urgency the road was to be rehabilitated to improve its safety attributes.
Rumour has it that this project has been “put on ice”, even the design.
Anyone riding along this section of road cannot but be horrified at the state of the guardrails, installed ostensibly to improve safety.
As they now stand they are “worse than useless!”
The installation of guardrails to a correct standard is a relatively small cost to expend in relation to the safety of lives which it promotes.
This of course would be only one of the steps which a competent road authority should take to prevent fatalities - others include transforming this section of M13 to the requirements of the “forgiving road” concept, a common philosophy in road engineering.
Perhaps the local politicians and the road authority could be asked to comment on “what is happening” regarding this section of road in the light of the upcoming elections, only a few months away.