via Fix Harare pothole menace December 1, 2013 The Standard Editorial
Who is going to patch potholes on Harare’s roads?
This seems to be the question on every road user’s mind in the capital these day where potholes are getting deeper and wider by the day, making it difficult for motorists to navigate their way through the bad roads.
The potholes are causing untold damage to vehicle suspensions and tyres.
In worst cases, motorists trying to avoid them have been involved in accidents, leading to loss of lives.
The Harare City Council, which is supposed to fix the roads, is doing nothing about the problem which is getting worse.
There are no council repair teams on the roads, no signs to warn motorists of impending danger caused by trenches and nobody at the local authority seems to care. This dereliction of duty on the part of the council is shocking, to say the least.
Harare City Council should have anticipated that the onset of the rains would worsen the problem of potholes and deploying response teams to attend to the problem should have been a priority.
Where are the pothole patching machines that were donated by Zinara amid pomp and fanfare a few months ago?
The lack of repairmen on the disintegrating roads means motorists can only pray for divine intervention.
Hard-pressed families now spend precious dollars repairing their vehicles, something they had never budgeted for.
The money, which is difficult to raise in this tight liquidity environment, could have been used for other productive purposes if the roads were well-maintained.
A number of people have also lost their lives in accidents that can be attributed to the state of the roads, and more accidents may be recorded during the festive season if council fails to act.
The local authority should urgently come up with a plan to revamp the road network in order to make it usable for thousands of people who travel in the city every day.
Council must also formulate a strategy to deal with congestion that has been worsened by the influx of ex-Japanese vehicles which have flooded the city. This could provide relief to its long suffering ratepayers.
COMMENTS
The condition of roads and traffic control devices continue to deteriorate, and repairs are taking longer, if they are made at all. These factors, along with the increased presence of improperly maintained vehicles, poor road quality and street lighting, and corrupt/ineffective traffic enforcement create an environment highly conducive to traffic accidents. Drivers should exercise extreme caution and drive defensively at all times, particularly during hours of darkness. Increased levels of corruption by traffic police at various road checkpoints, coupled with public acceptance of this corruption, and has also created a situation where unlicensed drivers and overloaded or damaged vehicles are commonplace on the road. It is estimated that close to half of drivers have ‘bought’ licences from the black market. Moreover, coercion and bribery are common by motorists to avoid receiving traffic violation penalties. Police will also elicit bribes, or “spot fines,” from motorists for arbitrary traffic violations. While the presence of goods and services has increased over the past year, the cost of these goods and services is still far beyond the means of the majority of the population. This continues to drive criminal activity throughout the country and in the low-density areas. Average street criminals normally operate in teams of two and in the central business district of downtown Harare. While police statistics are not entirely accurate, the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) reported a 40 percent increase in robberies in 2012. Home invasions are on the rise in Harare. While night time burglaries remain the norm, there are frequent reports of daytime attempts, probing, and actual burglaries. Of particular concern is the ability of some criminals to bypass residential security features, such as perimeter walls, guards, and alarm systems.
Firstly; be sure to place visible warning signs around the area you are intending to be working within, red buckets, chairs or similar. Reflective triangles should
be placed some distance away, facing both traffic directions, this shall assist in pre-warning motorists. If possible wear “bright coloured” clothing.
Eezy Tar is a premixed product, ready to use, just need add a little water. Follow the simple instructions on the packet. No special tools required.
However, it should be used last, as the top layer to seal the refilled pothole. Eezy Tar cures as a mat, similarly to a carpet. It is advantageous to firstly create a firm base.
Initially; So as to achieve best compaction, backfill pothole using slightly damp gravely soil. Use a broom handle laid flat across the hole, to gauge the required depth.
In excess of 1 cm (ONE) is unnecessary. Pour Eezy tar and ram in using a brick. Rather, more tar above & around the hole than wasting it filling the actual hole.