Vandalism

Background

The Traffic & Transportation Department operates an Area Traffic Control System from the Traffic Control Centre in Old Fort Place which controls about 755 traffic signals throughout the entire eThekweni Municipality. Most of these traffic signals are linked directly to the Traffic Control Centre with a dedicated cable (either copper or fibre optic)which is connected to the traffic signal controller on the street corner. It is this controller which actually changes the signal aspects that the motorist sees or reports back any traffic signals faults and it is housed in a cabinet made of aluminum, one of the few metals able to withstand the ravages of rust that we experience on the coast.

All the traffic signal controllers are now over 15 years old and spare components are no longer available, which has made much of this equipment very unreliable. A R 52,000,000 contract is currently underway to replace this outdated equipment over the next 4 years and fortunately this Department has the most competent technicians found anywhere in the country who are, in the meanwhile, doing their utmost to maintain this rather fragile equipment.

Vandalism

To compound this traffic signals maintenance problem, the entire country is currently suffering an epidemic of vandalism and any material on the street (including cables, aluminium guardrails / traffic signal heads / cabinets) is being stolen and sold to scrap metal dealers. Over the past few years the vandalism of traffic signals was confined to removing the aluminium boards behind the actual signal lamps (for sale to scrap metal dealers) and these boards are now being systematically replaced by fibre glass.

More recently however, the vandals are stripping the aluminium roofs and doors off the traffic signal controllers, leaving the internal computer equipment exposed to the elements. In most cases this internal equipment is either deliberately destroyed by the vandals or is burnt out when rain causes an electrical short. To compound the problem these faults are often not reported automatically to the Traffic Control Centre because the underground communication cable has also been vandalised. The copper cable is sold to the scrap metal dealers while the extremely expensive fibre optic cables are used by the vandals to make bullet proof vests.

For example, a traffic signal controller was vandalised recently causing the equipment to be destroyed in a rainstorm. This cost the Department about R 55,000 to replace the controller (which of course doesn’t include hidden costs such as accidents, delays and frustration to motorists as a result of the faulty traffic signals) and the vandals would have received R 10 from the scrap dealer for the metal.

Safety Implications

There are often delays of up to 8 hours before the Department’s traffic signal repair team can attend to a controller that has been stripped of its door or roof (particularly as this usually occurs at night) and during this time the internal electrical components are exposed to pedestrians and children walking past. To date there have been no reports of electrocutions as a direct result of vandalism but it is indeed a very real risk.

From a traffic safety point of view, a traffic signal may be out of order for anything up to 14 days depending on the availability of replacement equipment. Currently there are no spare controllers available and replacement equipment has to be refurbished on demand, using electrical components salvaged from previously vandalised equipment. This is extremely complex work and, as mentioned previously, this Department is fortunate to have technicians with the required expertise to undertake this process of refurbishment.

Understandably there have been numerous complaints from outraged motorists about what they perceive as a drop in the level of service provided by this Department. Traffic delays resulting from vandalised traffic signals are increasing monthly and even though Metro Police provide pointsmen at these traffic signals during the peak periods motorists are left to fend for themselves at other times. The wreckage that the vandals leave behind, broken traffic signal heads and lenses as well as the burnt out controllers, is an ugly sight that residents views as yet another drop in standards in their neighbourhood.

Cost Implications

Over the past few years nearly 75% of eThekweni’s traffic signals have been affected by vandalism, either stripped of heads, pushbuttons, cables and controller cabinets, at a total cost to the ratepayer in excess of R 3,500,000. For example, a traffic signal controller was recently stripped of its doors and roof, causing the equipment to be destroyed in a rainstorm. This cost the Department about R 55,000 to replace the controller and the vandals would have received less than R 10 from the scrap dealer for the metal.

Of course the above figures cannot reflect the hidden costs such as accidents, delays and frustration to motorists as a direct result of the vandalised traffic signals.

In cases where the vandalised traffic signal controller has not been destroyed heavy, duty canvas bags are secured over the remaining casing to protect the equipment and the missing doors and roofs are replaced in wood or fibre glass as a temporary measure. In any event, a systematic replacement of all doors and roofs is currently underway in order to remove the temptation to vandals and in particularly sensitive areas (such as close to scrap metal dealers) the doors are being fitted with alarms linked to armed response by private security firms.

Ethekwini (Durban) Metro Police and Protection Services have been unable to assist in the battle against vandalism and the Department has employed a private security firm to respond to alarms and guard equipment on the street as and when necessary. Another option, currently being pursued with a vehicle tracking company, is to embed satellite tracking devices in critical components to aid recovery of stolen equipment.

Long Term Solution

The eThekwini Council has approved the replacement of all the existing traffic signal controllers over a five year period and this contract is underway. The technology employed in these new controllers will be less susceptible to vandalism, such as countersunk doors, welded roofs and "vandal resistant" locks and door switches that will raise an alarm when forced open. The controller doors will be made in a metal which does not have a scrap value but will unfortunately be susceptible to rust. Other materials, such as wood and fibre glass, were considered but are not suitably robust or durable in terms of their exposure to the weather, on the street corner.

The time frames of the project however, do not allow for the speedy replacement of signals that are being vandalised.

Conclusion

The root cause of this vandalism is in fact the scrap metal dealers, who operate an extremely efficient network of satellite "chop shops" to cut the stolen material into unrecognizable pieces before it reaches the scrap yards. This of course makes it impossible to recover the stolen property let alone convict the thieves. The scrap metal dealers are obviously reluctant to cooperate and the only sustainable solution to the vandalism epidemic is to close all operations dealing in the sale of valuable metals, if this were possible. However, since this is not possible, it will be recommended that a multi-sectoral task team be established under the leadership of the Executive Director : Emergency Services to investigate solutions to protect council assets from vandalism.

Recommendations

A multi-sectoral task team be established under the leadership of the Metro Police to investigate solutions to protect council assets from vandalism.

However, there is a great need for the motoring public to be more vigilant and report any suspicious incidents that could be related to vandalism. But don’t do anything stupid, like confronting vandals yourself.