I've been all over SA on Street View and I've noticed that many South African roads and highways have a few meters of grassless dirt on the sides. It looks atrocious.


Here is an example

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb354/Graeme_Lide/Picture10.png


Why is this? And is it getting fixed?

Lol... Quick explanation, SA is huge and its not as rich as you think it is. And of course the country is better at building rather than maintaining..

Isn't the dirt for the cars who pull to the side, or for people who sell snacks and stuff.

I'm much more concerned about the dirt on the sides of our railway lines - and by dirt I mean actual garbage.

Isn't the dirt for the cars who pull to the side, or for people who sell snacks and stuff.

So is that what causes it? I don't quite get it. :?

I'm much more concerned about the dirt on the sides of our railway lines - and by dirt I mean actual garbage.

Well if you live in CT theres not much to worry about as I've notice this roadside dirt anomaly mostly in inland provinces.

^^ Nope, more proper verges, sidewalks or tarred shoulders to roads here (in W.Cape) than dirt. :)

Think if you have a narrow road with no shoulder, probably is better to have dirt rather than grass and plants growing up to the tar. Think weeds can actually damage the road edge.

The barrier between road and veld, especially in rural areas is meant to enhance visibility and provide some kind of safety distance between the road and what would normally grow there. It's no mistake that that 'dirt' is there. It makes the road safer.

A lot of this time the dirt also occurs when a curb, sidewalk and/or pavement also exist. This also irks me out to no end as a simple broom or shovel could get rid of it - and I never ever see this in Cape Town. I really wonder what the street sweepers do, or if Joburg even has any?

I remember when I was last in CT they had mechanical street sweepers that drive along the roadside curb and mechanically sweep away dirt. I've seen one Joburg in the Melrose area, hasn't done much to clean things up. Why doesn't Joburg invest in these?

Which reminds me...what on earth is the point of the City of Cape Town vehicle that drives around with a huge metal tank spraying water across the road horizontally as it goes along?

^^ HAHA! Cape Town taking service delivery to crazy levels again. It could only be to clean the bitumen surface of dirt, oil slicks and other grime that could potentially make the surface slippery for vehicles.

The barrier between road and veld, especially in rural areas is meant to enhance visibility and provide some kind of safety distance between the road and what would normally grow there. It's no mistake that that 'dirt' is there. It makes the road safer.

Shoulders do the job just as well though! Lol..

It's a matter of money and development, although JHB and Gauteng are superficially richer than CPT, they not necessarily more developed (HDI-wise). I was surprised when I first went to CPT and it's paved everywhere, and the paving is tar (asphalt) not necessarrily bricks like in Gauteng. then I remembered the city is a couple of centuries older than any of SA's other cities. It's simply prioritising, why have comprehensive paving in one place and then none in another, while you can have not-so-comprehensive paving in all areas? It's the same as in the US, why do you guys not bury all your electrical cables, after all they're quite unsightly? It's because the US is huge and burying all electric cables will be too expensive and there won't be enough money to electrify all areas.

I've been all over SA on Street View and I've noticed that many South African roads and highways have a few meters of grassless dirt on the sides. It looks atrocious.


Here is an example

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb354/Graeme_Lide/Picture10.png


Why is this? And is it getting fixed?

Am so used to dirt i cannot see a peck of it here;what do those signs mean?

It's a matter of money and development, although JHB and Gauteng are superficially richer than CPT, they not necessarily more developed (HDI-wise). I was surprised when I first went to CPT and it's paved everywhere, and the paving is tar (asphalt) not necessarrily bricks like in Gauteng. then I remembered the city is a couple of centuries older than any of SA's other cities. It's simply prioritising, why have comprehensive paving in one place and then none in another, while you can have not-so-comprehensive paving in all areas? It's the same as in the US, why do you guys not bury all your electrical cables, after all they're quite unsightly? It's because the US is huge and burying all electric cables will be too expensive and there won't be enough money to electrify all areas.

What a silly analogy. Cables are hung above ground for a reason. Please stop comparing South Africa to America, they are INCOMPARABLE

On some Namibian roads they have very wide cleared areas on both sides of the road. That way one can see the kudu coming before you hit it, especially at night. There is also a wild-animal problem on many Karoo and Kalihari roads.

It is obviously cheaper to build the roads narrower especially when traffic flow is low.

It's the space next to the road where you sing and dance to express your anger and unhappiness about something, whilst burning tires in the actual lanes.
The dust areas also serve as taxi ranks, extra lanes for taxis unwilling to sit in slow traffic like ordinary road users, space to set up your stall selling fruit, black bags, coat hangers and pirated dvd's.

Am so used to dirt i cannot see a peck of it here;what do those signs mean?

They mean "no stopping". Funny isn't it...

They mean "no stopping". Funny isn't it...

No stopping wtf? :lol:

It's the space next the road where you sing and dance to express your anger and unhappiness about something, whilst burning tires in the actual lanes.

Yet again a stupid and pointless remark.

They mean "no stopping". Funny isn't it...

No stopping? And those guys,or they will say it doesnt say no parking?