Gauteng’s Traffic Nightmare – ‘Robot Wars’ on HOT 1027

Episode 12: HOT1027 listeners are noticing a slight improvement

Motorists have noticed a slight improvement in their commute, with a few more traffic lights actually working, and more pointsmen deployed to certain intersections. It's been a busy week on the traffic light front, with the President telling the city to sort out the crisis before the G20 visitors arrive…

7 Mar 9AM 2 min

Episode 11: The JRA commits to a deadline

The Johannesburg Roads Agency has committed to repairing traffic lights at 17 main intersections by the end of this month. We’ve spent the week examining Joburg’s traffic light crisis – along with the economic impact on taxpayers – while trying to get officials to commit to deadlines to solve the…

7 Mar 9AM 2 min

Episode 10: "The dangers of getting used to this strange reality"

In the absence of working traffic lights across Joburg, motorists have told HOT1027 News they're so used to this strange reality, that they've accidentally driven through a red robot or stopped at a green light. Government insists it is working to solve the crisis but taxpayers are not seeing much…

7 Mar 9AM 2 min

Episode 9: "Investor confidence is on the line"

The South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry is warning Joburg’s traffic light crisis is costing our economy a fortune in lost productivity - while putting investor confidence on the line. For months now, Joburg drivers and visitors to our city have had to put up with nightmare congestion in…

7 Mar 9AM 2 min

Episode 8: The private sector shouldn't HAVE to fix the mess

While government has roped in many businesses to manage our traffic light crisis, taxpayers are warning we run the risk of outsourcing the state’s responsibility to the private sector. Business is doing much of the heavy lifting in trying to mitigate the effects of non-functioning traffic lights by funding pointsmen…

7 Mar 9AM 2 min

Episode 7: Will insurance pay out?

With unqualified vagrants directing traffic illegally across Joburg, we’re all being urged to check our insurance policies to find out if we’re covered in the event of an accident . The Gauteng traffic department insists it is working to resolve our robot crisis, but in the meantime, we’re at the…

7 Mar 9AM 2 min

Episode 6: Businesses are counting the costs

As we grapple with daily irritation over the lack of working traffic lights in Joburg, many residents are calculating the costs to their small businesses. Officials are blaming criminals for the hundreds of traffic lights that are still not working across our city, but taxpayers are fast running out of…

4 Mar 7AM 2 min

Episode 5: Parents are rethinking the chaotic school run

Parents are voicing their frustration over Joburg’s traffic light crisis, which has turned the daily school run into an unnecessary test of endurance. While officials blame criminals for tampering with infrastructure and stealing copper, motorists are left to the mercy of vagrants – who are illegally directing traffic through intersections…

4 Mar 7AM 1 min

Episode 4: Removing the "traffic-preneurs" is not as simple as it sounds

With vagrants accused of tampering with our robots, Joburgers are asking why our government is allowing homeless people to direct traffic in the first place. Many of these so-called “traffic-preneurs” have made our unnecessary traffic crisis a bit more manageable- but the fact remains - they are not trained and…

4 Mar 7AM 2 min

Episode 3: "This is no longer just a traffic crisis"

As hundreds of thousands of motorists battle through unnecessary congestion on Gauteng's roads, officials are warning our robot crisis is no longer ''just a traffic issue''. Government's failure to ensure we have working traffic lights is threatening investor confidence in our country while putting unnecessary economic strain on already burdened…

3 Mar 7AM 2 min

Episode 2: "Traffic lights are at the centre of a thriving black market"

As we battle through unnecessary traffic in Joburg, authorities say our traffic light crisis is at the centre of a thriving black market – dealing in copper, batteries and cash donations. For far too long , motorists have been battling through nightmare traffic jams, with untrained vagrants illegally directing cars…

3 Mar 6AM 2 min

Episode 1: "A crisis of unimaginable proportions"

Taxpayers are waiting for government to deliver on it’s many promises to solve our ongoing traffic light crisis. For months now, we’ve been at the mercy of vagrants directing us through intersections illegally – with very little tangible action from those paid to keep traffic moving here in Gauteng. HOT1027’s…

3 Mar 6AM 1 min