Joburg R70-million traffic light chaos

The Johannesburg Roads Agency’s (JRA’s) acting head of mobility and freight, Sipho Nhlapo, says the organisation spends between R120,000 and R500,000 to repair traffic lights at a single intersection, depending on the extent of the damage.

A large number of traffic lights in Johannesburg rarely function, and while many believe that vagrants interfere with the infrastructure to direct traffic, Nhlapo says copper cable theft contributes more to traffic light outages.

“In the last four years, more than 25% of the city’s traffic signals were affected by theft and vandalism,” he said.

“About R12 million per annum is lost in revenue as a result of vandalised and stolen press releases.”

The JRA’s records show approximately 396 current cases of theft and vandalism of traffic signals at intersections, and with costs ranging from R120,000 to R500,000 per repair, fixing them is a challenge.

Nhlapo noted that the JRA spent R1 million in November 2023 replacing all traffic signals along Modderfontein Road.

The JRA estimated that the backlog for repairs for its traffic light signals currently stood at more than R70 million.

“These figures represent traffic lights within the municipal boundary and not those on Gauteng Provincial Roads,” added Nhlapo.

Nhlapo acknowledged that there have been instances of vagrants interfering with traffic signals to direct traffic and hopefully generate some income.

However, he noted that the theft of critical infrastructure, such as copper cables, is primarily to blame for the high prevalence of traffic light outages in Johannesburg.

“The main cause of vandalism of traffic signals is the much sought-after copper cable, which is stolen by criminals from the traffic lights and sold at street value,” said Nhlapo.

He added that the modus operandi of thieves suggests that a syndicate operates to profit from copper and other components of traffic light infrastructure.

“For example, in some major intersections traffic lights are cut down in numbers rather than sporadically, which indicates high demand for copper cables,” he said.

The JRA is working to deter criminals from stealing such materials.

“In recent years, the JRA installed about 1,400 uninterrupted power supply batteries along major intersections and replaced critical infrastructure with material of lesser resale value,” said Nhlapo.

“For example, the aluminium and steel traffic signal heads and backboards have all been replaced with the nylon plastic types.”

“Other previous intervention methods involved the use of cables with a reduced copper content by reducing the thickness of the copper wire,” he added.

However, the latter appears not to have the desired impact. Therefore, the JRA has started using cables like copper-cladded aluminium, which have no resale value, at high theft sites.

Other interventions include partnerships with the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department and the South African Police Service, which have intensified their efforts to monitor traffic lights and apprehend criminals.

Criminals caught vandalising traffic light infrastructure don’t get off lightly, with the High Court recently sentencing a suspect to 10 years of direct imprisonment for stealing a traffic signal controller box on Eloff Street.

“Three other criminals were convicted for the theft and vandalism of traffic signal infrastructure and sentenced respectively to three years, 10 years, and 20 years of direct imprisonment,” said Nhlapo.

The JRA is also working with private sector companies to keep traffic lights at high volume intersections online through its Traffic Signals Back-Up Power Initiative.

According to Nhlapo, some of its partners include MTN, Vodacom, Investec, Sanlam, Ford Eagle, and FNB Bank City.

“Major intersections in areas such as Midrand, Sandton, Soweto, and Joburg CBD are among those that continue to benefit from these partnerships,” he added.