The Johannesburg Roads Agency started dismantling illegal boom gates in Johannesburg on Friday.
Liam Clarke, a manager at the agency, said a boom gate in Inanda in northern Johannesburg had been dismantled, and there were plans to remove a few more throughout the day. Most of the booms are in Johannesburg’s northern and eastern suburbs.
The deadline for applications to legalise the gates ended on Thursday night, by when the city council had received 297 applications.
He said some of the applications were for more than one gate, and there were about 1 000 booms in total.
Clarke said the agency was currently auditing the applications to ensure that the right booms were dismantled.
The council rejected last-minute calls for an extension.
It contends that most of the boom gates hamper traffic flow and deny people freedom of movement in public places.
However, various resident associations insist that the booms deter criminals. – Sapa