By Bongani Majola
JUST over 300 applications for road closures, covering more than 1 000 boom gates, are currently being considered by the City of Johannesburg, executive mayor Amos Masondo announced on Wednesday.
"The City's implementing agency, the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA), is in the process of assessing and auditing the applications, after which the City will be in a position to identify further illegal closures that need to be removed," Masondo told the weekly media briefing.
The JRA began dismantling illegal booms in some of the city's suburbs after the 17 July deadline for submitting applications to legalise the security barriers had passed. The agency swooped on the suburbs of Kensington, Illovo, Inanda and Jukskei Park to tear down the illegal barriers.
A further 13 illegal boom gates would be removed within the next week for failing to submit applications, the mayor added.
The July deadline for the submission of applications was adopted on 17 April 2003, "in terms of the City's policy on Security Access Restrictions". "Due to the time it took to approve the policy, a number of closures had been erected in the interim. These communities were given a three-month period to submit applications to the JRA," the mayor said.
In 2000 the City of Johannesburg appointed an independent panel of experts, including Human Rights Commission representatives, to look into access restrictions to roads and public open spaces by means of gates, barricades and fortifications.
Covering the widest possible range of views from stakeholders, the panel received written and oral submissions from interested parties that included the South African Police Services, Metro Police Department and service providers within the city.
A lengthy consultation process eventually led to the adoption of the new policy on access restrictions in April 2003. "We did this," Masondo said, "because we acknowledged that while security was a serious matter, many people were affected by road closures. The best option was to come up with a policy to address the phenomenon in a responsible manner. The public is therefore urged to use the processes and mechanisms that have been established".
There was no provision for a permanent road closure or boom gate, Masondo stressed, adding, "even those that are approved would have to re-apply after two years".
Copies of the policy can be obtained from the Metropolitan Council head offices in Braamfontein, as well as from a "variety of council buildings", the mayor said.
The policy is also available on this web site. (In Word format)
Masondo urged especially those still wanting to erect new closures to obtain the policy before making applications.
For further information contact the Johannesburg Roads Agency at:
Tel: 011 298-5000
Fax: 011 298-5178
Website: www.jra.org.za
