Mandara roads falling apart under siege from heavy trucks

Suburban Reporter

Mandara residents have written to the City of Harare expressing concern over the increase in the number of heavy trucks using roads in the suburb as a by-pass to get to the brick making company in the Chikurubi area and to the property along Dudley Edwards Road being used as trucking depot further damaging the already fragile roads.

The residents say if the frequency of trucks on roads, particularly Pringle Road, is not checked through the enforcement of weight restrictions, the roads will be completely destroyed.

In a letter to the City of Harare director of works Engineer Zvenyika Chawatama, the residents pleaded with the municipality to take action and save the roads in Mandara.

The letter referenced: Request for weight restriction signs, pothole repairs and speed humps in Mandara Riverton Road (off Pringle Road, rest of Pringle Road and rest of Mandara, the residents wrote:

“Dear Sir, as residents of Mandara we have noted with concern the increasing  number of heavy trucks using our roads as a by-pass to the Chikurubi Farm Prison Aquifa Brick Plant (Chikurubi Training Depot) – and to the property converted to a trucking yard along Dudley Edwards (Road).

“These trucks are damaging our already fragile road surfaces which were never meant to carry such loads, they speed and recklessly bully smaller cars out of the way.”

The residents requested that the City of Harare put up weight restriction signs on the following roads:

• Pringle Road – Riverton Road
• Riverton – Wallis and Boston Road
• Pringle – Harare Drive intersection
• Harare Drive- Wallis Road junction
• Beeston Road – Wallis Road junction
• Mondyness Road – Harare Drive junction

The residents also requested the City of Harare to initiate an urgent pothole repair programme along Pringle Road and build speed humps along the following roads:

• Riverton  Road
• Wallis Road
• Pringle Road

“We appreciate that council may not have the budget for the potholes and humps so may you have your guys urgently do a pothole repair assessment and hump siting visit and prepare for us a bill of quantities so we can see how we can assist as a community. Your most urgent attention to these matters will be greatly appreciated,” wrote the residents.

This week the residents went further and coordinated a petition to have their request attended to.

Residents said Dudley Edwards Road is falling apart while a school in the area, Direct Contact School, which has buses frequenting the road to pick and drop students, the trucking mining company and the brick making company are not concerned.

The residents said they could not let the roads in their neighbourhood fall apart completely and encouraged each other to be proactive and take action.

Residents said it was pertinent that they exercised some form of control because roads such a Pringle Road were residential service roads not commercial trunk roads.

Fears were expressed that if action is not taken Pringle Road will collapse in a month’s time because of the heavy loads it was being made to carry. Residents wondered what happened to road weight restrictions which prohibit vehicles carrying over 3 tonnes from using suburban roads.

At the moment, heavy mining and brick delivery trucks as well as heavy drilling rigs are a common sight on roads in Mandara. The drivers of the trucks are said to be speeding and aggressive towards other road users with lighter vehicles.

Residents coordinating the petition urged neighbours to sign the petition as they have been given an official to deliver it to by the district officer at Highlands District Office. Former Harare East Member of the National Assembly and former Ward 18 Councillor and Harare Mayor Ian Makone are in support of the residents’ request.

Suggestions were also made for Direct Contact High School to be approached and join residents in the patching of potholes should the municipality not have the required materials.