Johannesburg's public transport is to be improved, and traffic congestion on the city's roads relieved, by a five-year integrated transport plan approved by the city council.
Johannesburg mayor Amos Masondo said the plan - approved at a council meeting on August 21 - took account of 12,500 minibus taxis, 950 buses and 55 railway stations in the greater Johannesburg area.
Councillor Parks Tau said the idea was to integrate rail, bus and taxi transport into one network, with one ticketing system, and one livery for all vehicles.
There are to be 35 "major nodes" or "hubs" at which passengers can easily change from one means of transport to another.
The plan is for there to be ready access from residential areas to the nodes.
The lengthy plan - 10 chapters long - identifies provisional routes on a north-south and east-west grid.
There is also an inner city distribution service, which is a circular route connecting the city centre and places nearby, such as the Oriental Plaza, the Market Theatre complex, the University of the Witwatersrand, Park Station and Nugget Street.
This route will have buses running on it for 17 hours per day, at five-minute intervals.
The route is also part of the larger policy of rejuvenating the city centre.
The first "flagship route" to be opened in about 18 months will be a north-south route connecting Soweto, the Johannesburg central business district and Sunninghill in the north.
An east-west corridor will link Alexandra, Sandton/Randburg and Roodepoort on the West Rand.
Other elements in the plan are dedicated bus lanes, or high-occupancy vehicle lanes.
Only buses, taxis or private cars carrying four people would be allowed to travel in them.
There are also to be financial incentives to use public transport - or to discourage the use of private cars - but Tau emphasised that the idea was to improve public transport before putting such incentives or disincentives into effect.
At present about 53% of commuters use private transport, and only 47% use public transport.
The timing and setting of the city's 1780 traffic lights, the rationalising of the existing R300-million annual transport subsidies, and a comprehensive passenger information system are also part of the plan.
Tau said the plan would use taxis recapitalised under central government's taxi recapitalisation scheme.
He said the city council wanted "to maximise profit and efficiency for the taxi industry" and not to coerce the industry.
He said the industry preferred that taxis running on short local routes should be 18-seaters rather than 35-seaters, and the plan took account of this.
Improved transport will increase economic efficiency as people get to work and to appointments on time, and with less irritation.
But it could also improve the quality of life, especially of the poor who often have to travel long distances between work and home - a legacy of apartheid - at high cost relative to their pay.
Asked about funding for the plan, Tau said the national and provincial governments were willing to assist.
Sapa
Publisher: Business Day
Source: Business Day
New plan aims to unclog Jo'burg roads.
Posted On Thursday, 28 August 2003 02:00 Published by eProperty News
Johannesburg's public transport is to be improved, and traffic congestion on the city's roads relieved, by a five-year integrated transport plan approved by the city council.
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