Was there a point during your reply where you figured out that the points I addressed were not in response to your earlier comments, but in direct response to the post GCG made after you?
But seeing as you insist:
Call me negative if you wish.... I don't really "get into" sport at all
Neither do I. Have never, and will probably never watch 10 minutes of what I think is one of the more boring and unproductive sports on earth. There does however seem to be a rather large number of fans who feel differently.
it shows us once again that despite massive amounts of money being spent, and external help being fielded, in Africa we can still screw things up: The gautrain way over time and as we all know WILL not be finished in time for the WC (in fact it overshoots by a full year). They've only managed to get one part of what they'd promised would be operational (and only because the need was dire). The project is way over budget and was marred by industrial action (squeezing the man for all he's worth)
Do you realise that precious few major civil projects are ever completed on time and on budget in the world? It most certainly is not an African phenomenon. I am the first to criticise African incompetence, but crying wolf will render legitimate complaints invalid.
Case in Point:
Boston's Big Dig: Overshot all its deadlines. Overshot budget by around $12 Billion, yes BILLION, make that nearly $20 Billion with interest. Several collapses have led to deaths. Criminal charges for negligence. Constant leaks to this day. Faulty bolt installations. Major sections paid for, built but never used, etc etc.
http://www.associatepublisher.com/e/b/bi/big_dig.htmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Dighttp://www.designnews.com/article/484-Boston_s_Big_Dig_One_of_Engineering_s_Biggest_Mistakes_.phpYou can also look at the Channel Tunnel, Millau viaduct, Kansai airport (Still sinking) etc etc.
Construction wise there were no major problems with any of the stadiums and in fact the beautiful Soccer City was delivered months ahead of schedule.
The roads... much the same story and yes, will be tolled, by quite a margin. It will be nigh-impossible to drive around greater Gauteng without incurring a toll. "Government" road infrastructure is now a thing of the past. Govt says this is because they can't afford to build roads; Where DID my tax money go again?
I fully agree. It is insane to toll roads used to carry the daily commercial lifeblood of the country. There should be no toll. And if there is, it should be token only. 1 cent/ km will still earn them a killing, but won't be felt by the average motorist. The proposed 50 cent/km is pure robbery and most of it will probably end up in obscure pockets.
Meanwhile, our suburban roads have been carrying much heavier traffic than what they were designed for, this means they are now in shambles and with the impending tolling being proposed, I'm guessing our urban roads are going to become the routes of choice for heavy vehicles... thus I don't see a light at the end of that tunnel, especially since they're already unable to repair much of it. (And this is all because the roads are never resurfaced when they should, with no hope on them being resurfaced in the near future).
Yes, suburban roads have been carrying more traffic as a consequence of the highways being upgraded so that the suburban roads don't have to carry so much traffic!!! Not rocket-science!
In my opinion, and probably in the road department's as well, it would be prudent to wait until the highways are completed before upgrading the suburban roads thus not elevating traffic problems to traffic standstill. As every road crew in the country has been occupied on the highways in recent years, there obviously was a lack in human resources.
The gov have stated that they plan on instituting a complete ban on heavy vehicles on secondary roads when an alternative is available.
..................Continued on the next post.............................
