BRT Citichat 12 January 2007

CITICHAT 1/2007 - 12 January 2007




Joburg Inner City Summit – “Transportation”



Trust you had a wonderful Christmas and New Year and are safely back in harness. May 2007 be a great year for you and yours - and for Jozi!



During December last year the first three workshops in the process leading to the Inner City Summit and Charter were held. The workshops asked participants in each of the sectors to share what they thought would make the city more livable for citizens and visitors and vibrant and attractive to all its users. The sectors covered were “Safety, Security & Urban Management”; “Public and Leisure Spaces, Arts, Culture and Heritage” and “Transportation”.



I covered the first two of the workshops in the last two Citichats of 2006 but there wasn’t time to also cover the third. So, we start 2007 with this report on the December 2006 Transportation workshop.



Just a reminder - these workshops, and a whole lot more that will follow in the next few months, are working towards an Inner City Summit and Charter to be held on the 5th May and stem from the Executive Mayor’s concern that:

1. There must be ongoing mobilization of stakeholders around inner city regeneration.

2. There needs to be clarity on what the critical issues of concern to stakeholder are and there should be meaningful and robust debate around these leading to solutions.

3. The programme of solutions must bind all stakeholders to common actions.



Transportation Workshop



The City’s Transportation Department provided the workshop with an overview of far-reaching plans for the metropolis including some critical aspects relative to the inner city. I was reminded as they did so that I had been highly critical of one particular aspect of their “Integrated Transport Plan (ITP) 2003 to 2008” (Citichat 29/2004 of the 20th August 2004). This was in regard to their proposal to have a large proportion of public transportation avoid the inner city: “Of concern is the negative economic impact on the Inner City as a result of redesigning transportation systems that will result in direct routing that in turn will reduce the numbers of people passing through the inner city”. Well, the good news is that the Department now recognises the Inner City as a key transportation hub and by-passing the inner city is no longer being entertained.



Back to the overview! A new proposal or refinement to the previous plans is for the introduction of a R2 billon Integrated Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) System, named ‘Rea Vaya’, This will result in hundreds of new 160-seater buses using dedicated bus lanes on the following routes:-

• Lenasia to Sunninghill, via Regina Mundi, Orlando, Highgate, Parktown, Rosebank and Sandton;

• Alexandra to Randburg, via Sandton;

• Dobsonville to the inner city, via Pat Mbatha transitway;

• Parktown to Ellis Park, via Saratoga Avenue;

• Soweto Highway to Dobsonville

The BRT is quite an ‘aggressive’ system which provides the following features:

• Exclusive right-of-way lanes

• Rapid boarding and alighting

• Pre-board fare collection and fare verification

• Enclosed stations that are safe and comfortable

• Clear route maps. Signage and information displays

• Automatic vehicle location technology

• Modal integration at stations and terminals

• Bus operators contracted to provide the services



The buses will run from 5am to midnight every 10 minutes but every one to three minutes during peak times.



I traveled on a similar system in Curitiba, Brazil, some years back and if our BRT system is anything like theirs, which it promises to be, it will change our travel patterns forever and very much for the better. It was quick, easy, efficient and economic. BRT’s in various cities in the world have reduced traffic, air and noise pollution and lengthy commuting times.



The routes of the Inner City Distribution System (ICDS) that I first referred to in Citichat 29/2004 are being reappraised to integrate fully with the rest of the BRT. In addition an international Transit & Shopping Centre is being planned for the Park Station Precinct that will provide all the necessary connections between the Gautrain Station, Park Station, Metro Mall, Jack Mincer and Noord Street Long Distance Taxi Ranking.



You’ve heard it all before in other guises?



Maybe, but previously there wasn’t the urgency of a looming and immovable 2010 commitment – so the proposal has already found Council favour (it was approved on 23 November 2006), planning is at an advanced stage and construction is slated to start in the latter part of this year - the buses should be in service before April 2009 providing a year of testing and bedding down before the first ball is kicked off.



Comments, queries and concerns raised at the Workshop



The Planned Bus Systems

How energy efficient and ‘clean air’ friendly is the BRT and ICDS? Overseas examples use energy efficient vehicles, surely this is an opportunity for us to do the same?



Is the BRT/ICDS the best option? What about a Tram system for the Inner City?



Safety and Security, Management and Operational issues



• Major operational problems exist around Joubert Park and the Johannesburg Art Gallery. (One of the problems they face, and which I was certainly not aware of, is that the long distance (cross-border) taxis that rank here are licensed by Central Government which has no idea of our capacity or what effect these taxis are having on the city. The city thus has no control over numbers. It is an issue of international government protocols. Seems crazy to me that some taxis fall under Central and Provincial Government! Time that this was brought under one authority so that it can be properly co-ordinated and managed.



• In order to ensure the optimal safety and security of the public, it will be necessary to enforce the use of dedicated lanes - who will do that? Surely there is a need for a specifically designated enforcement team to regulate public transport?



• Commuters need to be educated to stop demanding taxis to drop them off where it suits them. Taxis create havoc by stopping where they please.



• Bus shelters and stations can become the focus of criminals.



• The linkages between transport and informal trading must be taken into account, perhaps creating dedicated markets and road closures.



Taxis



• There was a strong call for taxis to be ranked off-street but the difficulty is finding adequate space for this to happen. Many ranks are perceived as ‘illegal’ and this aspect should be regularized.



• There appears to be confusion over who is responsible for enforcement and management of taxis.



• Concern was expressed that some ranks, eg Faraday are not being utilized. Why?



• There is a need for information and education on existing Taxi usage, eg the destination hand-signs. But taxis need to have legible destination signage. There appears to be no provision for the disabled.



• The existing Taxi system will have to be integrated into any future public transport system



Land use and development control around stations and along transportation routes



• Given that BRT functions on specific fixed routes, it becomes critical that the land use, density and zoning along transportation routes and around the transportation nodes and hubs are carefully considered and controlled. Issues such as ground floor use, types of retail, informal trade management, linkages with Public Open Space all become important.



• The inner city currently has fairly narrow pavements. Will a focus on the provision of public transport increase pedestrian use and thus a need to widen the pavements?



Gautrain and SARCC



• Integration between the two rail systems as well as with other forms of public transport was critical and concern was raised that Gautrain was perceived to be ignoring aspects of this and was intransigent eg the distance between Park Station and Metro Mall was being ignored.



Parking



• The strategy regarding parking provision in the inner city was not clear. Was the long-term plan to dissuade private car usage and have peripheral parking and only public transport in the CBD?



• Currently the lack of adequate all-day parking facilities for the public is hampering development. Do we know how much parking is optimal now and in the future, where it can be developed and who should manage it?



• The issue of car guards/parking meters was raised as not having any strategy nor management and enforcement. The City was losing huge potential income and Cape Town was cited as an example of a city that had tackled the issue very successfully.



Bicycles



Why is it that we consistently ignore bicycles? They offer a low-cost democratic and environmentally friendly form of public transport?



The following are some additional comments received from Citichat readers:



• “Taxi facilities should be expanded and be well maintained. This is our de facto public transport system and therefore the city cannot deny responsibility for providing appropriate infrastructure. In return for providing better facilities, taxis should be more rigorously policed - washing of taxis on streets should not be allowed!”



• “An effective, safe and reliable public transportation network: one based on customer needs rather than money (Gautrain will make lots of money for some large companies due to property investments, and may serve a purpose for some commuters, and perhaps it’s a good start, but it won’t serve the needs of the majority of commuters). And please – (off the track a little but related) no more bloody stupid experiments like the Jhb – Pta highway recently. You can only penalise single-person car occupants (like me) if you offer a viable alternative. (I travel that highway each weekday). Put a usable public transportation system in place like other large cities around the world. It’s huge and it’s long term, but we need to start sometime. Urbanisation isn’t going to decrease. Yes, a good system is a pipe dream I know, but we can hope…”



• “The issue of having Joburg's maxi taxis using one colour or allowing cellphone companies and/or Airlines to paint the maxi taxis with their colour for advertising and pay the taxi owners. It will be good to emphasize the issue of standardization in all our transport systems. So far Taxis, Buses and Trains are the ones that the government have focused on and the maxi, or meter, taxis have been ignored.”



• “Cycle paths would improve movement in the city as it will be easier for people to move around using bicycles.”



• “At Noord Street taxi rank there are guys who are using trolleys - Pick 'n Pay, Checkers etc. - to help people with plenty of luggage. That's a good idea but again I'm sure that there are people who have fallen victims of crime. The city must not stop the service but instead make sure that it is run professionally and all those guys must be registered.”



• “Next to the Bree Street Taxi rank, as you go over the Nelson Mandela Bridge, there is a space used by taxi drivers to wash their vehicles. I think the space should be turned into a car wash and a “Bring and Braai” place whereby even the private car owners can go wash their cars and Braai. If possible a huge screen can be installed so that the guys can watch sports. There needs to be an all time presence of Pikitup staff to clean up the place and the security must be tightened. Better lighting will also be need so that the place can be alive after dusk. Proper drainage must be installed and the car washers must be trained and required to register their business.

• “I think some of the taxi guys who are leaving the industry because of the taxi recap should be called in to invest in things like the 3-wheeled cars which can be used as transport in the CBD between different entertainment areas. Unlike Cape Town, I do not believe that Johannesburg is ready for a Sightseeing Bus within the CBD, but as the rejuvenation continues to places like Hillbrow and around the taxi ranks, it could be introduced.”



• “Metro Police should be on site around taxi ranks to direct the traffic as it is difficult to cross the streets as the taxi guys don't care – they just go through the red robots and at some point hit people especially in the morning and evening. Our grandpa and grandmamas are struggling bigtime because they can't run across the streets.”



• “The other thing that our municipality should take into consideration is to create plenty of the bus and taxi stop around the CBD and other areas in Joburg as the taxi drivers stop everywhere and cause havoc. There needs to be penalties against people who stop taxis wherever they want and the taxi drivers should face heavy penalties including repossessing their taxis for a couple of days for not obeying the laws. Pedestrians must only cross by the robots or the stop signs and not in the middle of the road.”



• “I think the summit should deal with closing streets in the blocks around Beyers Naude from Kerk to Commissioner or even as far as Main Street on Saturday afternoons and Sundays to create a huge pedestrianised area. Rollerskating, cycling, shopping, ball games – the city should be alive with all its residents out and about. It doesn’t need to be a jamboree, just opening up space so that people living there are entitled to enjoy all the space the cars use weekdays. It could be great.”



Lots of comments, queries and suggestions – they’ll all be taken to the next level and debated as to practicality for implementation. Transportation (and its effect on other aspects of the city) is critical for the efficient working of our city. And then there’s 2010!



All the best again for 2007 – regards, neil



PS. There is an amazing display currently of historic photographs of the city at Museum Africa, really worth a visit.