A group of angry protesters barricaded the R102 with burning tyres and rubble, between Phoenix and the Cornubia flats on Friday, 16 June, demanding service delivery and the construction of a pedestrian bridge over the busy R102.
The protest led by learners from various schools started in the early hours of the morning with protesters hurling stones at passing motorists. The Tongaat and Verulam Tabloid established that the protest erupted after another child was knocked down by a vehicle over the weekend on the R102.
Clad in school their uniform, the learners barricaded the road and were joined by a few members of the community who echoed their sentiments and calls regarding the construction of the bridge. Residents told the Tongaat and Verulam Tabloid that pedestrians and learners are forced to cross the busy highway from Cornubia to Phoenix on daily basis because of work and the need to get to school.
To mitigate this, the residents are calling for a foot bridge connecting Cornubia and Phoenix to be built for the area. “The construction of a foot bridge will end road fatalities. We have been calling for the bridge to be built for the past few years, however our concerns have not been taken seriously,” one of the protesters said.
Another resident, Busisiwe Khoza said Parkgate residents are forced to cross the busy R102 to reach their homes. “We call on authorities to build a bridge that will connect section A and D in Parkage,” Khoza pleaded.
Ward 106 Councillor Rory Macpherson said the R102 is a provincial road. He said: “Shortly after becoming the ward councillor, one of the priority projects I attempted was to resolve the issue of the much needed pedestrian bridge linking Cornubia RDP houses to Phoenix. The urgency coming about with the ongoing number of accidents resulting from children and adults crossing the R102 to reach schools and shops on the Phoenix side of the R102.”
“The City has supported the building of a pedestrian bridge but as we have come to know the City has a cash flow problem. The thinking was for this bridge to funded by SANRAL who spending hundreds of millions on the N2/Cornubia interchange upgrade,” he added.
