Mobility Magazine

Equitable, integrated, low carbon transport www.mobilitymagazine.co.za

EDITION 13AUG/OCT 2011

Location, mobility and access to work

COVER PRICE R30

Theft stopping trains in

their tracks

PUbLiC TrAnsPOrT

Transforming life in

rustenburgForging

partnerships in George

GrEEn FUTUrEOperators go for gasCreating new jobsPlugging electric cars

WOrLD ViEWCoping without cars in CopenhagenFrom here to there in East Africa

INSIDE EDITION 13 AUGUsT/OCTObEr 2011

38

60

46

featuresTALKING TO: CArEL SNymANElectric mobility is the future, even if South Africa is taking a while to realise it 12

ALTErNATIVE FUELS Local biogas means more jobs, fewer emissions, and a better balance of payments 16

VIEWPOINTCan COP17 bring about a change in our transport culture? 22

PUBLIC TrANSPOrTRustenburg Rapid Rail: changing more than a transport system 26George: Working with what you have 28Rail and road: When small changes add up 46

LAND USEResolving social exclusion through increased mobility 32

rOAD SAFETyDo our courts give us licence to kill? 38

LAW AND POLICyDefining the role of government in relation to transport 44

rAILCable theft: an insurmountable challenge? 50

PHOTO ESSAyThe second lives of cars 56

WOrLD VIEWCopenhagen: A motoring journalist’s conversion experience 60Africa: Adjusting your standards to your needs 62

regularsEDITOr’S VIEW 2

NEWS 4

WHAT’S NOT WOrKING 66

rESOUrCES 67

my COmmUTE 68

2 mobility August/October 2011

EDITOr’S VIEW

Will South Africa steer the way at COP 17?

South Africa’s role as host for the Un Framework Convention on Climate Change seventeenth Conference of the Parties (COP17) in Durban places the country in the spotlight, not just in terms of hosting the event, but also with regard to the role south Africa plays in both producing and mitigating carbon emissions.

Our country also has a unique opportunity to trigger movement in the climate policy arena. The South African ministry of transport and transport advocacy groups should be able to use the momentum created by the meeting to promote sustainable transport policies and leverage funds for low carbon projects. South Africa also has opportunities to showcase model low-carbon transport infrastructure projects that have developed during the last few years.

Although members of the public cannot take part in the discussion and activities in or around the ICC precinct in Durban, at which the negotiations take place, there are a great deal of related events taking place in other venues during the period of COP17, including concerts, markets, a green expo, and exhibitions and the creation of a massive walkthrough permaculture beehive at the Botanic Gardens. At the time of going to press, however, most organisations and government departments had not yet finalised their workshop and event details. In particular, look out for the National Department of Transport and the Institute for Transport and Development Policy (ITDP)/Bridging the Gap side event at which transport ministers from primarily developing countries look at sustainable transportation in developing countries; and the Launch of the 2011 South African Carbon Disclosure Project Report on 6 December.

At Mobility we agree with international transport advocacy organisations, such as Bridging the Gap, that South Africa and national governments of the region should use COP17 as an opportunity to devise low carbon transport projects and put their cities on the path to economic growth and sustainable development.

We hope that COP17 will be a turning point for inclusion of the transport sector in the UNFCCC GHG reduction and finance mechanisms.

Gail

www.mobilitymagazine.co.za

PublisherSarah Hetherington

EditorGail Jennings083 658 [email protected]

Contributing editorKatharine McKenzie

Editorial advisory boardEric Britton, Louis de Waal, Bongani Kupe, Marianne Vanderschuren, Pauline Froschauer

Editorial addressOf fice C9, Westlake Square, Westlake Drive, Tokai 7945

Design and layoutCornelle Ellis

Sales managerDebra Wicks021 701 1371/082 712 [email protected]

Editorial office managerBarbara Jennings021 701 [email protected]

ContributorsCatherine Cross, Cape Town Partnership, Rodger Bosch, Brett Eloff, Stan Engelbrecht, David Davies, Kimon de Greef, Nic Grobler, Gerhard Hitge, Inhabitat, ITDP, Jane Lewis, Mosibudi Mangena, Tholakele Nene, Carel Snyman, Bruce Sutherland, SCM-Photo, Luke Jabulani Reid, Wessel Oosthuizen, Christo Valentyn, Christo Venter, Erwin Van Dijk, Graeme Williams, Kevin Wright.

Cover photographTaxi owner/driver Bennie McCombi fills up his vehicle with compressed natural gas in Langlaagte, Johannesburg. Photographed by Brett Eloff.

PrintingABC Press, Cape Town

CopyrightMobility Media CC 2009. Registered address: Of fice C9, Westlake Square, Westlake Drive, Tokai 7945.All rights reserved. Neither text nor images may be reproduced in whole or in part without the written permission of the editors.

Mobility Media is a joint venture between Gail Jennings and and String Communication.

http://emag.mobilitymagazine.co.za

Equitable, integrated, low carbon transport

3mobility August/October 2011


. N

ews SOUTH AFrICA

��

��

Durban to launch transport smartcarDDURBAN MAyOR, James Nxumalo, has announced that the city will be introducing a smartcard system in the first quarter of 2012, with the electronic ticketing equipment for public transport in the city already purchased and delivered.

The city has also completed its Integrated Rapid Public Transport Network Plan (IRPTN) and public information sessions are to begin soon. The city has applied to National Treasury and Department of Transport for funding. With the mayor saying ‘we are committed to delivering an integrated transport system for the city’.

In other developments, Durban has also committed to the development of bus rapid transit services for its new mega development, Cornubia, which aims to join up the well-established Umhlanga node with the new King Shaka International Airport and a number of marginalised and poor areas. Although there have been a few significant developments in public transport, such as the beachfront People Mover, Durban has lagged the other two big metros, Johannesburg and Cape Town, in prioritising public transport investment.

marvin the mascotThe City of Cape Town launched the new face of the MyCiTi bus system, a mascot named Marvin, in September.

Marvin is a humanised rendition of a bus, and will be used in marketing and road safety campaigns.

taxi industry takes offSANTACO’s plan to launch a low-cost airline came a step closer with a ‘proof of concept’ event held at Lanseria Airport. President Jacob Zuma told guests that a ‘sector that was branded by some as never going to be able to progress to even own fleets of buses, has leapfrogged into the aviation industry’.

Welcoming the country’s first fully black-owned airline, he said came soon after the welcome involvement of the taxi industry in the ownership and operation of Bus Rapid Transit systems, which he called ‘another important empowerment initiative’.

The SANTACO Airline, which has as its slogan Flying with Pride, will be owned by more than 100 000 minibus taxi owners. The services are intended to link Johannesburg, Cape Town and East London, offering an altenative means of transport for many thousands of people who have used road-based modes. This would broaden the base of domestic flyers from the current levels of more than 18 million passengers per year.

Zuma also gave some impressive statistics. The taxi industry carries about 15 million passengers a day countrywide, and is the ‘single largest and most accessible service provider in the public transport industry’. Annually, the industry spends R15 billion on fuel, R10 billion on vehicles and R150 million on tyres.

He said the government would continue to invest in infrastructure, especially the building and repairs of roads. ‘We have already spent more than R9 billion rolling out integrated public transport networks over the last six years. The expenditure trend is going to continue for the next 10 years.’

In all, more than R48 billion had been spent on BRT, rail and the taxi recap programme.The event was attended by the Minister of Transport, Sbu Ndebele, Gauteng Transport MEC Ismail Vadi, the president

SANTACO Jabulani Mthembu and CEO Bongani Msimang.


Axios Consulting is a specialist transportation planning and management consulting practice. in line with key national objectives, its main focus of late has been in the area of projects connected with the development of integrated Public transport networks and Bus Rapid transit systems, eg the City of Johannesburg Rea Vaya and the MyCiti BRt of Cape town. in both of these projects Axios Consulting played a diversified role, including financial modelling, preparation of contract documents, management of operator contracts, business plans and budgets and technical advisory support to the taxi industry enabling it to participate in the ownership and operation of contracted services. www.axios.co.za

GLOBAL ACTION

park[ing] Day 2011PARK(ing) Day is an annual global event that started in 2005, where people get together to temporarily transform metered parking spaces into PARK(ing) spaces: temporary public places. The idea is to call attention to the need for more urban open space, to generate critical debate around how public space is created and allocated, and to improve the quality of urban human habitat.

Pictured: Events from around the world, organised by Inhabitat, Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) and Cape Town Partnership.


. N

ews WOrLD

Meeting the challenge of creating affordable, efficient, sustainable, safe and equitable urban passenger transport systems will require innovative, knowledgeable professionals. The Centre for Transport Studies at UCT aims to develop and equip such professionals.

The Transport Studies Programme is:multidisciplinary, with both staff and students from a range of professional backgrounds;centrally focused on new policy directions and their implications for practice;modular and flexible in structure, enabling full-time students and those in employment to join the Programme, as well as CPD students on a course-by-course basis;challenging, rigorous and relevant to the needs of South African society; andlocally focused but informed by strong international linkages.

The Programme offers three postgraduate qualifications, viz. an MPhil, an MEng and a PGDip in Transport Studies. Courses offered include: • Integrated Land Use-Transport Planning • Intermodal Public Transport Planning & Economics • Non-motorised Transportation • Transport Demand Analysis & Project Assessment • Transport Modelling • Management of Transport Supply & Demand • Local Area Transport Planning, Management & Design • Rail Planning & Operations Management • Bus Planning & Operations Management.

More information is available at www.cfts.uct.ac.za or from the Programme Administrator, Ms Rowén Geswindt, on tel. 021 650 3499 or e-mail [email protected] www.uct.ac.za

Faculty of Engineering & The Built Environment

University of Cape Town

2212

6M

POSTGRADUATE PROGRAMME IN TRANSPORT STUDIES

New York will see the start of a bicycle sharing system next year, with 10 000 bikes deployed in an effort to get the increasingly popular urban transport idea rolling.Alta Bicycle Share has won the contract from New York City for the privately funded system, which will start in summer of 2012, with 600 bike stations in Manhattan and in parts of Brooklyn.The bicycles will be stationed every few blocks and available around the clock, with smart phone apps available to inform users of availability. The financing of the network will come from sponsorship and low-cost annual membership fees that allow unlimited usage for 30 to 45 minute trips. Longer trips would be charged extra.‘Bike share is a new form of public transportation that will help connect New Yorkers to their own neighbourhoods, to other neighbourhoods and to public transit,’ says Alison Cohen, president of Alta Bicycle

Share. ‘At the same time, it will make New York City a healthier, cleaner, greener and safer place.’City bicycle rental schemes have already proved a success in a number of European cities, including Paris and Barcelona, and have been introduced in US cities such as Washington and Boston.

sharing bikes in new York

TEN MOBILE CLINICS have been donated to five African countries to provide basic medical services to poor residents and remote areas. The vehicles, specifically built to travel on tough road conditions, have been donated by Hyundai to Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, Ghana and Rwanda. The clinics will be operated in close partnership with the Korea Foundation for International Health Care, local governments, local clinics and NGOs. The Korea Foundation for International Healthcare will provide consultation and training.

The mobile clinics have been developed on a four-wheel-drive truck chassis, with air suspension to protect delicate medical equipment and operates independently with its own power. They are self-sufficient hospitals with e digital X-ray machines and remote diagnostic systems, including the latest medical devices, such as digital ultrasonic and portable electrocardiogram machines. Staff will also be able to conduct basic medical tests, such as malaria screening, and provide medical supplies.

mobile clinics for africa


WOrLD

australians take a tabletPASSENGERS ON QANTAS will be the first in the world to have in-flight entertainment streamed wirelessly to tablet devices in a trial announced by the Australian airline. The six-week test will see Qantas’s current entertainment programme broadcast to a tablet supplied by the airline on a Boeing 767-300 flying domestic routes.

The brand of tablet is yet to be confirmed, but Apple’s popular iPad was among the models being considered.

‘Q Streaming’ will be made available to passengers for viewing on their own tablet, laptop or smartphone later in the trial and would be a key part of the scheme if ultimately adopted.

Replacing seat-back entertainment systems with tablets offered significant fuel efficiencies due to the weight saving, an important consideration as fuel prices rocket and Australia debates a pollution tax.

‘We are all focused on fuel burn being environmentally friendly and we have huge commitments to sustainability targets,’ said spokesperson Alison Webster.

American Airlines has launched a similar programme with Samsung’s Galaxy Tab tablet for first and business class domestic passengers, but content is pre-loaded rather than streamed directly.

Qantas low-cost airline Jetstar offers iPads for rent on some of its flights. AFP

IF yOU THINK your commute is getting more painful, you may be right. A new survey by IBM found that for many people in metropolitan areas around the world, getting to work is more painful endeavor than ever. In some cases, people’s negative feelings about driving may have more to do with their emotional states than actual driving conditions.

The study looked at the daily commute in a number of economically important international cities and reveals a surprising pattern. Even though commuting has generally become more bearable during the past year, drivers are complaining a lot more about traffic and the stress and anger it causes.

The annual global Commuter Pain study shows that in some cities more people now are taking public transportation rather than driving, compared with a year ago. A growing number of respondents say traffic on the road has ‘increased their levels of personal stress and anger and negatively affected their performance at work or school’, the survey says.

‘Commuting doesn’t occur in a vacuum,’ said Naveen Lamba, IBM’s global intelligent transportation expert. ‘A person’s emotional response to the daily commute

is colored by many factors – pertaining both to traffic congestion as well as to other, unrelated, issues. This year’s Global Commuter Pain survey indicates that drivers in cities around the world are much more unsettled and anxious compared with 2010.’

The commuter pain index ranks the emotional and economic toll of commuting in each city. Higher scores indicate more onerous conditions. The index reveals great disparity in the pain of commuting in some cities compared with others. Montreal had the least painful commute of the cities in the survey, followed by London and Chicago.

The index includes 10 factors: commuting time, time stuck in traffic, agreement that: the price of petrol is already too high, traffic has gotten worse, start-stop traffic is a problem, driving causes stress, driving causes anger, traffic affects work, traffic is so bad that driving stopped, and decided not to make trip due to traffic.

The cities scored: Mexico City 108; Shenzhen 95; Beijing 95; Nairobi 88; Johannesburg 83; Bangalore 75; New Delhi 72; Moscow 65; Milan 53; Singapore 44; Buenos Aires 42; Los Angeles 34; Paris 31; Madrid 28; New york City 28; Toronto 27; Stockholm 26; Chicago 25; London 23; and Montreal 21.

worst cities for Driving


. N

ews SOUTH AFrICA

HALF PAGE LANDSCAPE

Transporttransportation engineering and planning • Public transport infrastructure and services; • planning & design Policy, strategy and legislation development• transport and maritime economics • Freight transport and logistics • Railway engineering • traffic management and road safety •

Business institutional development • organizational / business analysis and • restructuring

DevelopmentProject management • integrated development planning • urban and regional planning • Community development and participation • Maritime industry development •

Khuthele Projects renders world-class Engineering, Planning, Management and Development services in a multi-disciplinary environment with a focus on the transport industry, business and the public sectors.

Tel: 012 366 0660 • Email: [email protected] • PO Box 1237, Pretoria, 0001 • www.khuthele.co.za

Serving our living environment

UNIVERSAL ACCESS is not just about providing ramps as access to buildings for people living with disabilities. It’s about access to everywhere for everyone. This is especially applicable to public transport, yet this is exactly where most citizens are let down, whether they have a disability or not. The lack of adequate, accessible transport is one of the biggest obstacles preventing people with disabilities from being included in South Africa’s mainstream society and the economy. October is Transport Month, and this topic will be on the agenda at the ACSA Disability Conference in Gauteng.

‘All the recent road improvements and transport infrastructure developments that have taken place in South Africa still fail to cater for people with disabilities,’ says Ari Seirlis, national director of the QuadPara Association and spokesperson for the SA Disability Alliance.

Seirlis says that with the new Rea Vaya Bus Rapid Transit system introduced in Johannesburg, professional advice on universal access was not implemented.

‘BRT has failed wheelchair users because of inaccessible platforms and the incorrect specification of rolling stock. The Metrorail system has yet to come up with a solution for wheelchair users who have no access to trains,’ he says.

‘The minibus taxi industry has traditionally driven right past our members. They claim that if they are not subsidised, so there is no incentive for them to forfeit a seat taken by a

wheelchair. A few door-to-door initiatives are in place, but the programme itself runs at a loss and is not sustainable.’

There is also no accessible transport system or network available in rural areas. ‘Thus, our members are truly disabled and immobile, not by their disability, but by a system yet to be developed which has failed them.’

There are almost 2.5-million people with impairments who use public transport.

eThekwini’s dedicated Dial A Ride midi bus service for people with disabilities.

transport on disability agenda


SOUTH AFrICA

HALF PAGE LANDSCAPE

Transporttransportation engineering and planning • Public transport infrastructure and services; • planning & design Policy, strategy and legislation development• transport and maritime economics • Freight transport and logistics • Railway engineering • traffic management and road safety •

Business institutional development • organizational / business analysis and • restructuring

DevelopmentProject management • integrated development planning • urban and regional planning • Community development and participation • Maritime industry development •

Khuthele Projects renders world-class Engineering, Planning, Management and Development services in a multi-disciplinary environment with a focus on the transport industry, business and the public sectors.

Tel: 012 366 0660 • Email: [email protected] • PO Box 1237, Pretoria, 0001 • www.khuthele.co.za

thredbo conferenceTHE 12TH INTERNATIONAL Conference on Competition and Ownership in Land Passenger Transport (Thredbo 12) was hosted by ITLS-Africa, the Department of Transport and Supply Chain Management (University of Johannesburg) and the South African National Department of Transport from 11-15 September 2011 in Durban. The Thredbo conferences are well known for their intensive workshop sessions. Included for the first time in this year’s line up was the topic of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT). Dr Dario Hidalgo of the EMBARQ Network – one of the world’s first BRT specialists, chaired the workshop.

Boks on the gautrainAND FINALLy …

On the first of September 2011 the Springbok rugby team departed for the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand. After a public send-off event at Nelson Mandela Square, the team walked to the Sandton Gautrain Station, where they caught the Gautrain to OR Tambo International Airport. Pictured here are Odwa Ndungane, Victor Matfield and Bakkies Botha.


. N

ews



TALKING TO

TEXT AND PICS: GAIL JENNINGS

Reinventing the Well-tO-Wheel

In introducing Carel Snyman to Southern Africa Transport Conference delegates, deputy transport minister Jeremy Cronin reminded us that we should believe neither politicians nor car salesmen. But at Mobility we’ve always found Minister Cronin persuasive, so it’s no surprise that we also buy Snyman’s electric mobility argument…

Electric vehicles have occupied a peculiar place in motoring history: electricity was the original propulsion mechanism, but gave way to petrol with the discovery of

oil. Petrol, for the same mass, was able to store 100 times the energy that the early lead acid batteries could do. Freed from these limitations, vehicles could now achieve a much longer range, and electricity simply provided the starting spark for the petrol engine.

It seems that every time there’s a spike in the oil price, electric vehicles reappear on the innovation agenda - in the 70s, the 80s, 2000s, and now the present. But each time, they give way to the ‘next big thing’ – hydrogen fuel-cells, hybrids, and biogas in various forms (see page 16).

‘In 2008 it dawned on everyone that fuel cell technology was still many years away, and most probably not the ideal solution for mobile applications anyway,’ says Carel Snyman, an energy specialist who has worked on South Africa’s varied electric vehicle and ‘alternative’ fuel programmes since the 1980s. ‘With petrol prices taking a hike to about 155 USD a barrel, interest in electric mobility has now re-awakened.’

Not that Snyman had to have his interest re-awakened, of course. One of his current vehicles is an electric conversion bakkie, which he’s been driving on

and off for the last eight years. There’s no engine, no gear-shift, no exhaust pipe; in the place of the fuel cap is the plug-in point, and although it’s a fairly quiet vehicle, the tyres still create enough noise to silence the ‘but-people-won’t-hear-it-coming’ critics. ‘I’ve never replaced the brake pads, the car has never had a service; there’s no water, no oil…’ He covers distances of about 80 km a day: ‘The longest distance in my logbook is about 300 km in a day – that’s by plugging in wherever I go. you can use a normal 3-prong plug, and there’s always one somewhere.’

Why not EVs right now?The continued pursuit of bio-diesel, alternative fuels, hybrid vehicles and ‘range extenders’, makes only partial sense to Snyman. ‘Analysts say we need to go through this phase of different fuels, but that we’ll end up using electric vehicles. So then we ask, why don’t we go straight there?’ He answers the question himself: ‘That’s because EVs, although the ultimate solution, today cannot meet all our mobility needs. That’s clear. So we need to find other alternatives until we can fill those gaps – for example around energy storage.’

‘And we need to look at what sources other than electricity can meet the demands of freight transportation, long-distance buses, and other vehicles that require long ranges on one fuel tank. These


demands can be met with biogas, methane, of which the world still has ample reserves. These fuels don’t require major engine modifications, and there’s no need for a massive roll-out of a new distribution system.’

‘The other alternatives of course are making rail and other public transport more convenient and attractive; ultimately, in terms of person kilometres and tonnage, rail is best,’ says Snyman. ‘But rail infrastructure cannot be everywhere, and it does not make sense in terms of cost to install it everywhere either. So we need proper feeder systems, integrated with rail systems.’

Overcoming range anxietyAnd that brings us back to electric vehicles. ‘Today’s barriers for the fast introduction of EVs remains the perception that they might run out of battery power, or that users will forget to plug in overnight to charge the battery. The use of cell phones has helped us to remember to plug in, and the same will happen with EVs.’

‘Today’s batteries offer a much better range – and making plug points available where people typically park will to a great extent resolve range anxiety. What’s more important, though, is this fallacy, among consumers and those who pull the strings at policy level, that cars should go 600 km on one refuel, and that therefore EVs should be able to do the same.

‘The average private vehicle commute is about 50 km a day, and if vehicles were not your full commute, if they were simply a first-and-last mile connection, then that would be even shorter.

‘So your vehicle should not be your full commute, it should be a feeder system to reach that public transport. And in order to achieve this, public transport should be faster than it is, super fast, convenient, available - you have to be able to find it. And it’s here, the feeder


connections, where electric, shared or two-wheel vehicles are the answer. EVs should be small vehicles connecting people to the public transport grid. That means that the cost of the vehicle will be less, you don’t need all that energy to drive the vehicle, and you’ll still get a decent range.’

A radical change required‘We simply should not use a petrol engine to drive a car. We have done it for so many years, yes, but that is what people said when they got rid of horses as well.

`We need to change. We need a radical change, not a small change. In fact, I believe that in the future you will not own a car at all. you’ll get a mobility card from your employer, for example, and that allows you to buy kilometres. So your electric car will link you to the most effective mode of public transport. And that vehicle might be something totally different to what you currently term your “car” – small, efficient, maybe only a two-seater, or three-wheeler. Although you can

make any vehicle electric, smaller cars are smarter, and the batteries cheaper, lighter. After all, why take two tones of metal with you wherever you go – and then leave it outside…’

More reasons why electric mobility makes senseWell-to-wheel efficiency…‘With petrol cars, we take the oil out of the ground, we burn it, and the total efficiency is only about 15%. Eighty five percent of the energy that was in the oil is wasted in the process of turning that into kilometres via the petrol car. If you use coal to produce petrol and diesel, there is a big waste here. So only 7% of that energy is turned into kilometres and 93% of that energy is wasted. But if you had an electric car using the same coal, you go up to about 24% efficiency.

‘But we should not depend on coal to produce energy. If we use the sun, then we go up to 71% efficiency. That’s sustainable. We can live with that. We cannot go on the way we are going. If you want to make any impact on climate change, you have to change in a big way. And the technology is already here.’

Look above the ground‘We’ve been looking below the ground for our sources of power, meanwhile they’re above the ground, free… (sort of…).

‘If we look practically, at today’s costs. I only consume about 3 kWh a day using a small commuter, that’s on average 60 km per day. To keep an EV charged for these distances, I need to provide photo-volatic [solar electric] cells of a surface area of about 7m. Right now, that would cost about R40 000 rand, but would last for 25 years. That’s about 150 000 km over that time, at a cost 27c per km, with no increase. Compare that to the cost of a power station…’

Even without solar…‘EVs do not pollute at point of use, but of course you have to look at the power station and the refinery.

‘But even if we stick with coal-generated electricity for now, electric vehicles still make sense. Eskom is producing electricity while no-one is buying it. It’s like an open tap – what’s wasted is enough for a population of 6 million electric cars.

‘Eskom has more then enough energy, they don’t have capacity, but because South Africa has one time-zone only, we can’t shift the peak. So if you could charge your vehicle during off-peak, at a cheaper rate, Eskom could flatten its demand curve and reduce the cost of electricity overall. (In fact, that’s the reason Eskom started looking into electric vehicles in the 1980s…)

‘your EV can also earn you money – for instance, if a smart grid system exists, where you can fill up using off-peak at a lower cost, you can make this energy available at a higher price to anyone consuming at peak times.’ v

ev home charge package avaiLaBLe for nissan Leaf owners in BeLgium

A home charging offer has been created for Belgian owners of the 100% electric Nissan LEAF to ensure they can recharge their car as efficiently and as safely as possible. The system has been developed in partnership with ThePluginCompany, Nissan’s certified Electric Mobility Operator (EMO).

A dedicated home charger - complying with all current legislation and certified by Nissan - will achieve a full charge at 16amp in less than eight hours, about 35% faster than an EVSE power cable which is supplied with the LEAF.

Professional installation including the home charger costs 1,079€ (6% VAT included) although up to 250 Euro can be recovered as a tax incentive. Owners are also supplied with a dedicated hotline number with experts on hand to answer queries relating to EV charging.

ThePluginCompany has also developed a smart mobile payment platform for owners to charge their vehicles at public charging points when away from home. Charging sessions are authorised by sending a simple SMS to a short code 4242.

Research shows that 80% of daily driving in Belgium involves trips of less than 100 km. With its compact, highly efficient lithium-ion batteries and powerful electric motor, the five-seater Nissan LEAF has a range of about 175 km (NEDC mode). Recharging from empty to 100% can be done in eight hours with a normal charger and in about 30 minutes from empty to 80% using a public quick charger. Depending on the subscribed electricity tariff and time of charging, it will be possible to run the Nissan LEAF for less than 1.5 € per 100 km.

national government starts to see the light…‘This is not a revolutionary thing – this is the future, says Peter Lukey, deputy director general of climate change at the Department of Environmental Affairs. ‘We need to accept the future now, or we could go down a whole bunch of bypasses, keep on using fossil fuels until they run out… ‘

‘And another aspect of EVs that seldom comes up - if you speak to the fossil fuel fraternity in terms of energy, the biggest critique they have is the storage of renewables. With fossil fuels, you can just keep on running continuously, and waste enormous amounts. With renewables, such as solar, you can’t do this: they’re only there when they are available… So the storage of energy is perhaps the biggest challenge that renewables face.

‘With EVS, though, we’re talking about a fleet of mobile storage, massive storage facilities, a national storage system for energy, which you could even feed back into the national grid. ‘


For more information visit: www.joburg.org.za or call 011 870 4582

CONNECTING PEOPLE AND PLACES: CITY OF JOBURG LAUNCHES 2011 TRANSPORT MONTH PROGRAMME

Transport Month 2011

Each year, government celebrates Transport Month where it seeks to p rofi le different aspects of transport.

This year, the theme for the City of Joburg’s Transport’s Month is “Con-necting People and Places” focusing on the role of transport in connecting people and places.

Transport availability plays a key role in providing access to amenities and each other. “Too many people in our city do not know what’s on offer in Johannesburg because lack of easily

available transport is a barrier. Too many people do not cross the transport divide to get to really know each other,” said Cllr Rehana Moosajee, MMC for Transport in the City of Joburg.

Transport Month 2011 is set to change that, with fi ve unique activities that will connect people with places and people with each other.

Connecting people and places: Let’s walk, cycle and skate-board through the inner city: On Sunday 2 October, residents of Joburg are invited to come to the inner city to walk, cycle or skateboard from Constitution Hill on a 5km route to Newtown, past key City sites such as Chancellor House, Gandhi Square, the High Court and the Drill Hall. Come and participate between 9:00 and 12:00. Registration starts at 7:30. Entrance is free.Let’s connect with public transport: Race across Joburg: On Friday 7th October, the City will be inviting teams of Joburg political leadership, business leadership and celebrities to race across Joburg from the south to the north using public transport, passing public places of interest and ending at the Kyalami Race Course. This event will seek to highlight the

many public places of interest in Joburg and how to access them using public transport. It also aims to highlight the chal-lenges of using public transport and raising awareness on how to improve passenger information. Protecting the City’s road and storm water infrastructure: Let’s clean kerb inlets before the summer rains! On Tuesday 11th October, Cllr Moosajee will lead City councillors and staff to clean kerb inlets and other storm water infrastructure in Alexandra Township. Johannesburg Road Agency teams will simultaneously focus on cleaning kerb inlets throughout the City. The event will seek to highlight the important role of storm water infrastructure in making roads safer and pre-venting fl ooding. Meet at 7:30 at San Kopana, Rev. Sam Buti Street, 12th Avenue, Alexandra. Decade of action for road safety: Count me in!: On Tuesday 25th October 2011, Cllr Moosajee will host an information and awareness raising event for City stakeholders on the need for road safety at Gold Reef City Conference Centre from 9:00. Participants will discuss how a Joburg Road Safety Council should be set up.Public transport operators: Know your City! On Monday 31st October, the City will host 100 drivers from the mini bus taxi and bus sector on a “know your city” tour. Project launches: Transport Month will also be used to launch various capital projects that the Transport Department (3 October) and Johannesburg Roads Agency (5 October) have been working on.

The City will also be supporting and partnering with others on transportation events during this month such as the Bosmont Safety Rally.

Building a better Joburg: Promoting publictransport, walking and cycling

The events are as follows:

Cllr Moosajee is the MMC for TRANSPORT in the City of Joburg.


ALTErNATIVE FUELS

PICS: MERCEDES -BENZ,

BRETT ELOFF

Green transport means green growth

South Africa is able to create jobs and green its economy by replacing imported fuels like diesel with home-grown biogas, with the added benefits of improved balance of payments, a growth in the local tax base, lower emissions and public health cost savings.

Against a backdrop of the world’s gradual but determined move toward green economic growth, the City of Johannesburg recently convened a

nine-week programme to review its Growth and Development strategy (GDs). The City brought together stakeholders from all sectors to consider issues such as liveable cities, resource sustainability, health and poverty, governance, transportation, community safety, environment, economic growth, and smart city development.

‘It’s about what we can do now to try and shape the type of city we want in 2040,’ said Cllr Rehana Moosajee, mayoral committee member for transport, City of

Joburg, introducing the transportation theme week in early September.

‘Transport is interlinked to each of the other themes in our GDS,’ she said. ‘We have the opportunity in the transport sector to make a substantial impact on issues of economic growth, on issues of climate change, a more liveable city, a safer city, a city where people are healthy, where they are wealthier, and where poverty is something of the past.

‘And what government is going to have to do between now and 2040 is to manage the tensions between economic growth, human and social development, sustainability, liveability and resilience, understanding that at the core of all of this are our


Green transport means green growth

natural resources. So, for example, we could have economic growth that does not create jobs. We could have economic growth that has no real impact on human development indicators. Or we could put a lot of energy into human development indicators, grow the economy, but at an expense of the natural resources.’

Certainly transport is seen as a potential growth sector in Gauteng – and South Africa as a whole. ‘Mobility no doubt has a big role to play in sustainable and economic growth,’ she said. So while a number of transport challenges were discussed during the week, the opportunity for green jobs received much attention.

Says Raoul Goosen, senior specialist on green industries at the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), ‘The way in which we’ll create jobs from increased use of public transport is to localise production and content, and to use locally produced fuel.’

In public transport, typically about 20% of expenditure is on the capital, and about 70% of the operational cost is fuel expenditure. ‘That’s generally all money that’s leaving the country – so fuel can play a big

role in terms of localisation.’‘We can create jobs and “go green” by replacing

imported fuels like diesel, with the benefits of a better balance of payment, a growth in the local tax base, lower emissions and public health cost savings,’ he says. ‘But we need three things to make this happen: the fuel, the technology and the financial input. Transport investors won’t invest in a gas bus if there is no gas …’

Goosen acknowledges that ‘electric vehicles (EVs) have a big future’, but believes the way to go right now is with gas – and the resolution of a number of costing and regulatory issues that are hindering the transition. ‘A significant unresolved issue is how government will impose road fuel taxes on gas and bio-fuels,’ he notes.

We have the opportunity in the transport sector to make a substantial impact on issues of economic growth, on issues of climate change.

fueL factsif sa replaced 1% of current national fuel •usage with locally produced fuel (target 2012), this would result in a forex saving of about r1.5 billion per year, and create 10 000 sustainable jobs over 20 years.

if sa replaced 10% of current national fuel •usage with locally produced fuel (target 2020), this would result in a forex saving of about r15 billion per year, and create 100 000 sustainable jobs over 20 years.

Landfill gas uses waste to replace •imported diesel and/or crude oil creating one job per 500 litres a day.


Gas, in the transport context, includes biogas, a methane-rich gas emitted from bio-matter (such as plant and food waste), and CNG (compressed natural gas) gas sourced from natural reserves such as gas wells. They are essentially the same and can be mixed or replace each other.

South Africa currently imports CNG from Mozambique, but ‘home-grown’ gas is the industry waiting to happen, Dr Harry Teifel of Mercedes SA told GDS delegates at the IDC’s Green Transport Seminar. ‘We’ve got the stuff here, in every landfill, we just need to use it.’

‘Waste is a “proudly SA product”. The waste we dump, we can now use to power our vehicles. That’s the cycle. We collect the gas, put it in the vehicles, and drive them – it’s as simple as that …’

Municipalities dump household waste in landfill sites all over South Africa. The organic matter starts fermenting anaerobically and emits a methane-rich gas. And by building the necessary infrastructure at a landfill site, this gas can be capped, extracted, purified, compressed and used commercially.

‘Landfill sites produce enough gas to power every bus and every taxi in the country,’ says John

Stavers, Novo Energy, who is working with the IDC to commercially explore Ekhuruleni’s landfill sites. ‘Cleaned-up biogas has the same chemical characteristics of pipeline gas from Sasol Gas and Egoli Gas,’ says Stavers, ‘but the local governments’ own sources of biogas could be a considerably less expensive option for operating their public transport vehicles and waste trucks. And of course the concept of energy self-sufficiency should make this a very attractive proposition.’

But it’s that age-old chicken-and-egg situation. Without a firm commitment from a gas buyer, such as Metrobus or Putco, for example, a financer such as the IDC cannot justify the investment. yet gas is business as usual, it is is not experimental, says Teifel. There are already more than 10 700 Daimler buses and trucks in operation worldwide with these alternative drive systems.

‘At the end of the day, they offer massive fuel cost savings. The trucks are slightly more expensive, but the energy cost is such a big proportion of the life cycle costs.’ Losses due to fuel theft will also be reduced, he says – apparently between 10-20% of fuel is stolen in South Africa.

Already a number of taxis in Jo’burg are participating in gas pilot projects. These vehicles are ideally suited to gas, as they use a great deal of fuel, create pollution and operate predominantly in the built-up, urban environment. The fleet owners would quickly be able to repay the additional cost of the gas technology by enjoying lower cost fuel.

The impact of greater adoption of biogas vehicles by local governments, for starters, would be significant, says

The way in which we’ll create jobs from increased use of public transport is to localise production and content, and to use locally produced fuel.


Stavers – in terms of job creation, SMME opportunities, economic and environmental sustainability, in addition to pollution and climate change mitigation. The jobs will be created in biogas infrastructure construction and operations at gas sources, in transportation and fuel dispensing, in vehicle manufacturing and in vehicle conversion and repowering.

‘Quite simply, we need to put less biogas into landfills and use it more effectively – and that gas should be used as a vehicle fuel, not to make power,’ says Stavers. ‘Is there a better example than using a resource that is currently often wasted or flared, to replace more expensive and less environmentally friendly fuel – all on a very sound economic foundation?’ v

FAR LEFT: There are already more than 10 700 Daimler buses and trucks in operation worldwide, that run on biogas or other alternative drive systems.

LEFT: A few taxi fleets in Gauteng have used gas conversion kits, and now refuel with compressed natural gas (CNG).

Transportation Planning & Traffi c Engineering / Design & Rehabilitation of Roads & Runways / Design & Rehabilitation of Structures / Planning & Design of Water Services / Mining Infrastructure / Township Services / Agricultural Infrastructure / Development Engineering & Planning / Management Services

Designing South African roads and transport networks

since 1972.

UWP Consulting (Pty) LtdTel: +27 11 709 8420Fax: +27 86 539 2880

Email: [email protected]

E N H A N C I N G T H E Q U A L I T Y O F L I F E

Waste is a “proudly SA product”. The waste we dump, we can now use to power our vehicles.


ADVERTISING FEATURE

Building on its strong base as the hub of south africa’s manufacturing sector and home to south africa’s premier airport – oliver tambo international airport – ekurhuleni municipality is now positioning itself as an aerotropolis.

Defining the AerotropolisAn Aerotropolis can be defined in two ways. One is as ‘a new urban form placing airports in the centre with cities growing around them, connecting workers, suppliers, executives, and goods to the global marketplace’. The second is in infrastructure terms as ‘aviation-linked urban infrastructure consisting of an airport core, light industrial space, hotel/retail/entertainment complexes, and ocean ports, fully integrated across global supply chain networks.’For the next five years Ekurhuleni plans to optimise the location of the OR Tambo International Airport in its space, together with other key development nodes and industrial development zones. this will include investment in new economic infrastructure to support logistics and distribution coupled with new investment in broadband iCt infrastructure.

‘As the municipality we are committed to making sure that the necessary governance, land use planning, infrastructure provision and economic development strategies are in place to enable this vision to unfold with little hindrance. We invite the business community to engage us on the opportunities provided by the aerotroplolis vision and the municipality plans to host a consultative summit with business before finalising the Aerotropolis strategy,’ points out Ekurhuleni Executive Mayor Clr Mondli Gungubele.

ekurhuleni’s new growth pAthTo support its objective of becoming Africa’s first Aerotropolis, the City of Ekurhuleni recently hosted USA-based strategy expert Professor John Kasarda, the man who developed the Aerotropolis concept – the whole idea being to partner with him in ensuring the project takes to the skies smoothly.

already ekurhuleni has many of the features needed for a successful aerotropolis including rail, road and air infrastructure that supports mobility, the infrastructure of a digital city that attracts the best companies in the world and a mix of accommodation, office and related real estate infrastructure. Conferencing infrastructure is also in place to meet the requirements of any convention or company, big or small. ‘We have all these, and therefore we are ready to hit the road to becoming Africa’s first Aerotropolis,’ concludes gungubele.

ekurhuleni Aerotropolis A first for AfricA



VIEWPOINT

PIC: BICyCLE PORTRAITS,

WWW.DAyONEPUBLICATIONS.COM

Can COP17 conscientise us?Ahead of this climate change conference, can South Africans make the major changes needed to ensure a better future? MOSIBUDI MANGENA believes getting on a bicycle is the first step.


Our 11-year-old granddaughter has been bugging us to buy her a bicycle for a while now. We would love to, but we are scared. Apart from our small yard, where

else would she ride the bike? in the streets she would risk being run over by cars – speeding or not. so, we keep fobbing her off, again and again.

The South African built environment is designed just for cars and, quite frankly, it is hostile to bicycles. Cyclists who take to the roads compete with those automobiles at their peril.

In countries such as the Netherlands and Belgium, bicycles are valued and ‘honoured’. There are bicycle tracks along their streets allowing for safe cycling and bicycle parking facilities are provided everywhere you go. People, including professors at universities and even government ministers, can be seen merrily pedalling to work or to run one errand or another.

In December, the 17th United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP17, will be held in Durban. It is a huge gathering that brings together governments, international organisations and civil society. At these conferences, delegates face the daunting task of persuading the citizens of the world to save our earth by reducing emissions of gases into the atmosphere that contribute to climate warming.

Obviously inspired by the fast-approaching conference, the eThekweni municipality is promoting the use of bicycles in their city. I was excited when I saw images of people pedalling on some bikes whilst a senior member of the council commented on the project.

Hopefully, this is not one of those things that we South Africans love to do – announcing something only to abandon it after a few months. It seems our ability to plan, implement something and sustain the effort, is suspect.

We still remember an announcement by the transport department not so long ago to roll-out bicycles to rural communities, especially learners. We should keep our fingers crossed that this initiative will not suffer the same fate, because bicycles are such wonderful modes of transport for a variety of reasons.

The more bicycles we use, the fewer the cars on our streets and therefore fewer greenhouse gases to warm our earth. The streets would be safer as well as quieter.

We would have a slimmer, fitter and healthier population than we have now. Presently, too many people are overweight or even obese. Increasingly, our children are becoming fatter and fatter as a result of too

little body movement.As is commonly known, overweight people are

more prone to hypertension, diabetes and heart and kidney diseases than those who are fit. The health department has confirmed that these are dangerous silent killers in our population. With more of our citizens on bicycles we would have fewer people suffering from these diseases.

To make the desired positive impact on the health of our population and the environment we need a huge change in our infrastructure and our culture. We need a well-developed bicycle manufacturing and repair industry, cycling tracks in our streets and bicycle parking facilities everywhere in our towns and cities. In addition, the dominant car culture would have to be tempered by a co-existing cycling culture.

Hosting COP17 in our country can help conscientise our society, not only about the health and environmental benefits of the two-wheeler, but about the necessity to move away from fossil fuels for our energy needs.

The huge amounts of oil-based fuels we use to run our cars and the millions of tons of coal we burn to generate electricity emit large amounts of greenhouse gases that are raising the temperature on earth. Already, the ice covering the north and south poles is melting at an unprecedented rate, raising sea levels and threatening to submerge some small islands and low lying parts of some countries.

It is feared that a rise of the temperature on earth by between one and two degrees could drastically change life as we know it. We may experience more floods and droughts, new challenging diseases may emerge and food security for both people and animals threatened.

To avert this looming catastrophe, the entire world should move towards renewable energy, mainly wind, nuclear and solar.

Although South Africa is a big per capita polluter, we are also fortunate to live in a country with plenty of sunshine throughout the year. We could exploit the sun to heat water in our geysers, build huge photovoltaic panels to generate electricity, especially in the Karoo, and supplement that with electricity we can generate at wind farms.

Whilst small by comparison, pedal power can make its modest contribution. v

MOSIBUDI MANGENA IS THE FORMER MINISTER OF SCIENCE

AND TECHNOLOGy

We need a huge change in our infrastructure and our culture. We need a well-developed bicycle manufacturing and repair industry, cycling tracks in our streets and bicycle parking facilities everywhere in our towns and cities.


Learner Driver Support Programme (LDSP)In an effort to assist learners get their learner’s and driving licenses legally, the Learner Driver Support Programme (LDSP) was introduced in the province. The programme, managed by the Departmental entity g-Fleet, is an initiative meant to also introduce and teach learners driving, road use and life skills. The project forms part of the provincial government’s strategy, which resonates with the National Skills Development Strategy, requiring public and private investment in skills development.

The project, now in pilot phase, makes use of mobile computerised license testing facilities, to visit schools with the objective of introducing driving and road usage skills to grade 11 and 12 learners.

The LDSP involves the active participation of the key stakeholders which include the communities, Gauteng Departments of Education (GDE) and Community Safety (DCS).

Green Transport As a subscriber to the Kyoto Protocol, South Africa is in the process of developing policies to govern and guide initiatives related to energy efficiency, low carbon emission and green economy.

The Energy Efficiency Strategy of 2005 prescribes that an energy efficiency improvement of 12% must be achieved by 2015. It is against this background that the Gauteng Integrated Energy Strategy (GIES) was developed, which mandates the Department to achieve the following targets:

30% of government vehicles to be converted to • alternative fuels by 2015; 50% by 2030; and• 100% by 2050.•

The Department has also partnered with the South African National Energy Research Institute (SANERI), a subsidiary of Central Energy Fund (CEF).

The strategy objectives of the Strategy are to verify a different energy sources focusing on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) and blended Biodiesel to achieve efficiency; cost effectiveness and reducing carbon emissions.

The government has identified green economy as one of the sectors that can be explored to create sustainable job opportunities.

Road Maintenance The launch of the S’hamba Sonke (moving together) Roads Maintenance Programme was a direct response to the ongoing deterioration of provincial road network, having an adverse effect on the economy and affecting road users negatively.

The roads maintenance programme is a national project focused on maintaining the provincial secondary road infrastructure, using labour-intensive methods. With a provincial budget allocation of R566m for 2011/12 financial year, the Department is tasked with ensuring that the road infrastructure is maintained to high standards and contributes to economic activity and development of the province.

The programme, fully funded by the national Department of Transport through conditional grants, is for road infrastructure maintenance and the funds are ring-fenced for only this purpose.

The Department has also partnered with the Pothole Brigade, a business initiative driven by Dial Direct and Trafficare, to assist in managing and repairing potholes in the Johannesburg area. Approximately 30 000 potholes were attended to and repaired in the past year.

In its commitment to stimulate economic participation and growth, the Department has identified small and emerging contractors as major beneficiaries of the programme. The plan falls within the provincial government’s efforts to facilitate the process of growing an inclusive economy through the creation of job opportunities using labour-intensive methods.

October Transport Month (Road Safety Campaign)Themed ‘Towards an integrated public transport system that reduces road fatalities’, the campaign forms part of the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety. The 2011 campaign will focus on road safety and promote the use of public transport.

The campaign will also seek to raise public awareness, especially among young people, of the dangers posed by driving and texting. The introduction of a Pledge to Don’t Text & Drive Campaign will be reinforced to curb this dangerous practice on the roads. Messages will also highlight dangers stemming from speeding, jaywalking,

fake licensing, driving drunk and fatigue. The Provincial Department has entered into a strategic

partnership with 3M to raise awareness around issues of road safety, promoting the use of safe and reliable transport to schools, highlighting public investments in road and transport infrastructure.

Pedestrians are also a key target audience as statistics indicate that they contribute to the high road fatalities. In the province, the figure stands at 2 318 deaths, making up 17% of the national average.

The 2011 campaign will target motorists, pedestrians and communities through high impact advertising media platforms. These will include above the line mediums such as radio, outdoor advertising and newspapers. Events, interviews, the use of social media and publications will form part of the campaign.

The road safety plan comprises the introduction of an initiative to have one million vehicles being stopped and checked for defects and roadworthiness.

Gautrain Rapid Rail ProjectGautrain Rapid Rail Project is part of government’s policy to promote the use of public transport and is also central to the province’s quest to becoming a globally competitive city region.

With an impressive passenger figures since the start of the service, the Gautrain has had a positive impact on perceptions on the use of public transport. The recently opened route between Johannesburg and Tshwane has been well received with number of commuters growing daily. The project is comparable to other rapid rail systems throughout the world in terms of safety, comfort and convenience.

The Gautrain has since completed nearly 30 000 station-to-station trips and carried approximately 750 000 train passengers and around 125 000 bus passengers. It has had a positive effect on the traffic between Johannesburg and Pretoria. This world-class rapid rail system has also introduced a socially-inclusive mode of public transport catering for all people between the two cities. This has improved the overall image of public transport in the province.

The project has also served as a springboard in the acceleration of provincial economic growth, development and infrastructure delivery. In achieving these, the emphasis is on job creation; quality service delivery; good governance; small and medium enterprise development; convergence of public-private partnerships and promotion of tourism.

The 30 billion rail project has sparked new urban high-density hubs near the rail route. The project is stimulating investments in additional high-density developments and contributing to the change of Gauteng cities, that is, Johannesburg, Tshwane and Ekurhuleni.

High-density city areas will enable Gautrain users to conveniently live, work and shop along the rail route. As nodal areas increase along the Gautrain route, patronage is expected to provide a backbone for public transport in Gauteng. This project is, therefore, effectively integrated with Gauteng’s future land use and transport strategies.

With Tshwane and Ekurhuleni on course to implementing their Bus Rapid Transport systems, this will ensure most of Gauteng’s residents will have access to safe, accessible, efficient and affordable public transportation system. This will contribute to reducing traffic congestion, the resultant high petrol prices and carbon emission.

Transport leads the way to growth, jobs, liveabilityADVERTISING FEATURE

Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport No. 41 Simmonds Street Sage Life Building Tel: 011 355 7000 Fax 011 355 7305.

Gauteng Province works to balance the economy, natural resources and human development


Learner Driver Support Programme (LDSP)In an effort to assist learners get their learner’s and driving licenses legally, the Learner Driver Support Programme (LDSP) was introduced in the province. The programme, managed by the Departmental entity g-Fleet, is an initiative meant to also introduce and teach learners driving, road use and life skills. The project forms part of the provincial government’s strategy, which resonates with the National Skills Development Strategy, requiring public and private investment in skills development.

The project, now in pilot phase, makes use of mobile computerised license testing facilities, to visit schools with the objective of introducing driving and road usage skills to grade 11 and 12 learners.

The LDSP involves the active participation of the key stakeholders which include the communities, Gauteng Departments of Education (GDE) and Community Safety (DCS).

Green Transport As a subscriber to the Kyoto Protocol, South Africa is in the process of developing policies to govern and guide initiatives related to energy efficiency, low carbon emission and green economy.

The Energy Efficiency Strategy of 2005 prescribes that an energy efficiency improvement of 12% must be achieved by 2015. It is against this background that the Gauteng Integrated Energy Strategy (GIES) was developed, which mandates the Department to achieve the following targets:

30% of government vehicles to be converted to • alternative fuels by 2015; 50% by 2030; and• 100% by 2050.•

The Department has also partnered with the South African National Energy Research Institute (SANERI), a subsidiary of Central Energy Fund (CEF).

The strategy objectives of the Strategy are to verify a different energy sources focusing on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) and blended Biodiesel to achieve efficiency; cost effectiveness and reducing carbon emissions.

The government has identified green economy as one of the sectors that can be explored to create sustainable job opportunities.

Road Maintenance The launch of the S’hamba Sonke (moving together) Roads Maintenance Programme was a direct response to the ongoing deterioration of provincial road network, having an adverse effect on the economy and affecting road users negatively.

The roads maintenance programme is a national project focused on maintaining the provincial secondary road infrastructure, using labour-intensive methods. With a provincial budget allocation of R566m for 2011/12 financial year, the Department is tasked with ensuring that the road infrastructure is maintained to high standards and contributes to economic activity and development of the province.

The programme, fully funded by the national Department of Transport through conditional grants, is for road infrastructure maintenance and the funds are ring-fenced for only this purpose.

The Department has also partnered with the Pothole Brigade, a business initiative driven by Dial Direct and Trafficare, to assist in managing and repairing potholes in the Johannesburg area. Approximately 30 000 potholes were attended to and repaired in the past year.

In its commitment to stimulate economic participation and growth, the Department has identified small and emerging contractors as major beneficiaries of the programme. The plan falls within the provincial government’s efforts to facilitate the process of growing an inclusive economy through the creation of job opportunities using labour-intensive methods.

October Transport Month (Road Safety Campaign)Themed ‘Towards an integrated public transport system that reduces road fatalities’, the campaign forms part of the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety. The 2011 campaign will focus on road safety and promote the use of public transport.

The campaign will also seek to raise public awareness, especially among young people, of the dangers posed by driving and texting. The introduction of a Pledge to Don’t Text & Drive Campaign will be reinforced to curb this dangerous practice on the roads. Messages will also highlight dangers stemming from speeding, jaywalking,

fake licensing, driving drunk and fatigue. The Provincial Department has entered into a strategic

partnership with 3M to raise awareness around issues of road safety, promoting the use of safe and reliable transport to schools, highlighting public investments in road and transport infrastructure.

Pedestrians are also a key target audience as statistics indicate that they contribute to the high road fatalities. In the province, the figure stands at 2 318 deaths, making up 17% of the national average.

The 2011 campaign will target motorists, pedestrians and communities through high impact advertising media platforms. These will include above the line mediums such as radio, outdoor advertising and newspapers. Events, interviews, the use of social media and publications will form part of the campaign.

The road safety plan comprises the introduction of an initiative to have one million vehicles being stopped and checked for defects and roadworthiness.

Gautrain Rapid Rail ProjectGautrain Rapid Rail Project is part of government’s policy to promote the use of public transport and is also central to the province’s quest to becoming a globally competitive city region.

With an impressive passenger figures since the start of the service, the Gautrain has had a positive impact on perceptions on the use of public transport. The recently opened route between Johannesburg and Tshwane has been well received with number of commuters growing daily. The project is comparable to other rapid rail systems throughout the world in terms of safety, comfort and convenience.

The Gautrain has since completed nearly 30 000 station-to-station trips and carried approximately 750 000 train passengers and around 125 000 bus passengers. It has had a positive effect on the traffic between Johannesburg and Pretoria. This world-class rapid rail system has also introduced a socially-inclusive mode of public transport catering for all people between the two cities. This has improved the overall image of public transport in the province.

The project has also served as a springboard in the acceleration of provincial economic growth, development and infrastructure delivery. In achieving these, the emphasis is on job creation; quality service delivery; good governance; small and medium enterprise development; convergence of public-private partnerships and promotion of tourism.

The 30 billion rail project has sparked new urban high-density hubs near the rail route. The project is stimulating investments in additional high-density developments and contributing to the change of Gauteng cities, that is, Johannesburg, Tshwane and Ekurhuleni.

High-density city areas will enable Gautrain users to conveniently live, work and shop along the rail route. As nodal areas increase along the Gautrain route, patronage is expected to provide a backbone for public transport in Gauteng. This project is, therefore, effectively integrated with Gauteng’s future land use and transport strategies.

With Tshwane and Ekurhuleni on course to implementing their Bus Rapid Transport systems, this will ensure most of Gauteng’s residents will have access to safe, accessible, efficient and affordable public transportation system. This will contribute to reducing traffic congestion, the resultant high petrol prices and carbon emission.

Transport leads the way to growth, jobs, liveabilityADVERTISING FEATURE

Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport No. 41 Simmonds Street Sage Life Building Tel: 011 355 7000 Fax 011 355 7305.

Gauteng Province works to balance the economy, natural resources and human development


GrEEN TrANSPOrT ECONOmy

By JANE LEWIS

Rustenburg, for those who haven’t been there recently, is a mid-size city in the middle of north West Province, about one-and-a-half hours’ drive from Joburg. One

of the fastest growing cities in south Africa – and in one of the fastest growing regions – the town has come a long way since the launch of sun City in the early 1980s, which led many a visitor through its city centre.

Rustenburg is primarily a mining town– built on the richest platinum reserves in the world. More than half its residents are employed or work in some way in the mining industry. It’s also a rich agricultural area, with many surrounding farms and a busy village life, all anchored by a vibrant city centre.

For the 500 000 residents living in Rustenburg today, however, getting to and from work, school and clinics, and to visit friends and family isn’t easy. Most residents don’t own a car, so they rely on the 21 taxi associations and two bus operators for mobility. There is also a high level of pedestrian traffic and strong support for bicycle use – particularly among scholars. The public transport options are supplemented by limited school bus services, while mining organisations have in some instances provided supplementary bus services to assist their workers.

Hosting the 2010 FIFA World Cup set Rustenburg on its path to improve its road infrastructure and public transport systems: it was one of the 12 cities chosen as

part of national government’s Public Transport Strategy and Action Plan of 2007. Over the last 18 months the municipality has worked with the local taxi and bus industries first to deliver 2010 services, and then to conduct feasibility studies for a new and improved integrated, rapid public transport system for residents.

The result of this groundwork is a plan to implement a new integrated system to service the local mobility needs of all municipal residents by 2015. The project, currently known as Rustenburg Rapid Transport (RRT), was launched to stakeholders and residents in July 2011, and aims to plan, design and implement the new system in the next four years.

By 2015, up to 200 000 commuters a day will have access to an efficient, safe and affordable transport network within comfortable walking distance (500 m) of their homes and places of work.

Initial modelling identified two main corridors of mobility covering about 40 km along the R510 and the R565 routes, which will link the settlements of Phokeng and Kanana to the Rustenburg CBD. The number of passengers along these routes strongly supports a BRT system and they will form the central trunk routes for the new system. Along the 40 km stretch some 37 closed stations and dedicated bus lanes will be constructed, with an emphasis on universal accessibility and pedestrian access.

The two trunk routes will be integrated with various direct routes to ensure that health and education

transforming small-city lifeIt’s more than a year since the final whistle, but despite disillusion and disappointment in some quarters, many of the World Cup legacy projects have indeed come to fruition. One of these is the Rustenburg Rapid Transport project, which includes a novel skills-transfer approach.


services and the mining operations around the city are easily accessible. With 100 articulated buses planned for the RRT trunk routes, high volumes of commuters will be able to enjoy a fast, reliable and convenient transport service. Smaller feeder services will ensure that public transport reaches into communities and villages throughout the municipal region.

Local jobs, transferred skillsThe total investment programme is currently estimated at R3 billion from the PTISG (Public Transport and Infrastructure Systems Grant) over the next four years, and local content is being prioritised in all areas. The Rustenburg local municipality has stipulated that at least 25% of the RRT contract values must be spent in Rustenburg, and that accredited BBBEE ratings and proof of up-to-date rate payments are vital. Experienced suppliers working on the project are doing so in partnership with local firms to ensure skills transfer.

One of the projects arising from the RRT is the Transport Rustenburg Incubation Programme (TRIP) which has been set up to groom Transport Engineering graduates to manage the RRT in the future. The TRIP programme will provide three years of on-the-job-training for the successful candidates and prepare them for management roles for the local municipality to run the new Public Transport division at local government level.

The RRT will be the first system in the country to implement a completely integrated public transport

service, and has been lucky enough to learn from Joburg and Cape Town before embarking on this project. Many of the lessons learnt from these projects have been used to help formulate and direct how the project is managed and communicated. The project team has an impressive complement of technical specialists with municipal support, and there is a strong focus on communication, stakeholder engagement and positioning the project as a transformation project – not a transport project.

The transformation of the taxi industry and bus operations has begun, with a six-step transformation road map and information sessions with operators. The regional industry is organised and professional, and robust negotiations will follow in the coming 18 months about the issues of business value and compensation, followed by contract negotiations for the new service.

The residents of Rustenburg are in for a step-change in their quality of life in the next five years, but so too are other African cities of a similar size, if the model and project can demonstrate the case for integrated rapid public transport networks in smaller cities. v

ABOVE: Executive Mayor alongside the Ward 19 Councillor, Cllr Shimane Seriteng and Boikagong Principal show their support to the Rustenburg Rapid Transport project carbon offsetting initiatives. They are joined by the project manager, Pauline Froschauer (second from left)

There is a strong focus on communication, stakeholder engagement and positioning the project as a transformation project – not a transport project.


PUBLIC TrANSPOrT

TEXT: SARAH HETHERINGTON

PICS: RODGER BOSCH

GeORGe – going its own way

In this growing Southern Cape town, a different approach to a new public transport system is emerging – one that is led by the operational model rather than by infrastructure. And it’s piquing interest across the country.


For several years now, almost before the flashier rea Vaya and MyCiTi public transport systems hit the headlines, a team from the Western Cape provincial

government and their consultants have been visiting George regularly to get a new public transport system on the road.

Despite changes in political leadership, at both the provincial and municipal level, the George Mobility Strategy moved forwards (and sometimes backwards, as is often the case with projects this complicated).

At once low key and incredibly ambitious, the George project is not one with artists’ impressions of modernist glass stations, or dedicated transport lanes. Rather, it has a vision of a public transport service built on old-fashioned values – being reliable, safe, convenient and affordable. It wants people from all parts of town to be able to walk to a bus stop, know when the bus is coming, how much it will cost and where it will stop.

The idea is that an elderly lady from Thembalethu can plan a trip to the clinic in the middle of the day, a student from Pacaltsdorp get to the campus of the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University outside town on the Saarsveld Road, and teenagers spend a day at the beach and get home safely. The project aims to build a business, empowering shareholders and training people for new careers in customer service, vehicle maintenance and management.

What stands out about the vision is that it involves a fundamental transformation of public transport in an area almost devoid of conventional bus operators, where the only show in town is the minibus taxi.

This requires serious engagement with the current operators, many of whom are fairly recent entrants to the industry and make an unpredictable living from one or two vehicles. A great deal of commitment on the part of government is also needed to make it work. The province has appointed a business advisor to assist around 500 operators with the process of forming a company, deciding who becomes shareholders, what becomes of the vehicles, who will be employed by the new company and, most importantly, how much money will come the way of the operators as ‘maintenance of income’ or ‘restraint of trade’ payments.

The main players – the Uncedo Taxi Association, George Taxi Owners’ Front, George Taxi Association and Louis’ Transport (a bus operator) – will form part of the new company.

Along the way, there’s been the passage of the new National Land Transport Act, which requires that the contracting authority be the municipality rather than the province. This has shifted the emphasis to a real partnership between the provincial Department of


Transport, with its funding and capacity, and the George municipality, which is determined to take ownership of its own home-grown solution.

The project has also been renamed the George Integrated Public Transport Network (GIPTN) to fall in line with new concepts within the Act.

A home-grown solutionRecently, George took a momentous step forward with the signing of the country’s first inter-governmental agreement between a province and a municipality to work together to deliver a public transport system.

Despite its position as the Western Cape’s second largest city, in a region that has sustained economic growth and development, a sleepy atmosphere still prevails. So it was a big day when first the provincial cabinet came to town, and then a special meeting of the George municipal council met to approve the intergovernmental agreement and financial agreement.

There was support from all parties – both the governing DA and the ANC – for the agreement to jointly implement the GIPTN over the next 12 years. This will be the term of the first negotiated contract between the municipality and the company that is being formed by the current transport operators. It has also required a Section 78 of the Municipal Systems Act and Section 33 process, the first to consider alternative service delivery mechanisms and the second to permit the municipality to enter into a contract for longer than three years in

terms of the Municipal Finance Management Act.After the special council meeting, Minister of

Transport and Public Works Robin Carlisle and Mayor of George, Charles Standers held a ceremonial endorsement of the formal paperwork.

‘The intergovernmental and financial agreements are an important step in a process that will see the existing local public transport operators coming together to form a corporate entity that will be contracted by the George Municipality, with our support, and be responsible for the delivery of services,’ said Carlisle.

‘For the next 12 years, my department has pledged the bulk of the funding required for the first contract period. This funding is for the upgrading of roads to appropriate standards, the provision of new infrastructure and for operational subsidy support. The next step in this process involves finalising the operator contract and concluding agreements with current minibus taxi and bus operators. To this end, the operators, drivers, mechanics and others associated with the present services will receive training so they can fulfil their contractor role.’

George Mayor Charles Standers emphasised on Friday that it is a pilot project for South Africa. ‘In the format that we are going to implement it, in cooperation with the Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works and incorporating all local taxi and bus operators, it is a first for the country and its success is paramount.’

ABOVE: Transport studies show that 45% of the George workforce has to walk to work, mainly because they can’t afford fares.


He said councillors of all the parties are on board.The municipality has also approved a draft

Operator’s Contract, which will be advertised for public comment and given to the current operators to begin considering, ahead of final negotiations.

The new municipal public transport service should then commence operating, initially between the town centre and Saasveld campus of the NMMU early in 2012, followed by the roll-out of further routes across George from mid-2012.

Once in full operation, a reliable subsidised service will run for 18 hours a day and seven days a week, with bus stops within ten minutes’ walk of anywhere in town and connections with the surrounding areas, such as Hoekwil, Kleinkrantz and Wilderness. This will vastly improve access to the services and opportunities in the centre of George.

Already, R54 million has been spent on road infrastructure upgrading and a temporary bus depot in york Street. Over the next five years, the cost of

infrastructure is estimated at around R236 million.Initially, vehicles used will be good quality minibus taxis

from the existing fleets owned by operators, which will be handed over to the company in return for further shares. These taxis will be branded with a corporate identity yet to be designed. In the pipeline is a new fleet of between 130 and 150 modern buses, midi-buses and minibuses. Between 400 and 500 people, including the existing bus and taxi operators, will be employed. Civil engineering services official Lindsay Mooiman says the project will have a turnover of about R2 billion over the next 12 years.

But that’s in the future. For now, the first indication residents of George will have of the new services that will arrive in their neighbourhoods are temporary signs which, says Claude Madell, manager of infrastructure planning at the municipality, will give people an opportunity to comment on proposed routes and stops.

With keen interest in the project from other local municipalities, many eyes will be on George for this critical year ahead. v

Once in full operation, a reliable subsidised service will run for 18 hours a day and seven days a week.

Aurecon provides engineering, management and specialist technical services for government and private sector clients globally. The group has been involved in

We work collaboratively with our clients throughout the entire asset life cycle, from pre-feasibility and business case preparation through to the operation and maintenance phases.

and legal systems to support excellence in the planning, design, construction, management and delivery of transportation systems, including roads and highways, rail, tunnels, bridges and structures, airports and ports.

For more information contact us at tel: +27 12 427 2000 or email: [email protected]

Airports

Freight, logistics & infrastructure

Rural transport

Urban transport

Expertise:


LAND USE

PICS: RODGER BOSCH;

GRAEME WILLIAMS,

MEDIACLUBSOUTHAFRICA.COM;

CHRISTO VENTER

MAPS SUPPLIED By WILLEM

BADENHORST (MANDALAGIS)

location, mobility, and access to work

ChRISTO VENTER and CAThERINE CROSS explore the features of access and mobility in low-income communities and suggests some policy interventions to improve livelihoods.

Recent qualitative research has started to examine the transport problems of marginalised people in more detail, linking social exclusion with location and

settlement characteristics more explicitly. There is an emerging awareness that transport is central to the character of settlements and their ability to promote sustainable livelihoods.

The analysis is based on two parallel sets of data. These are mixed-mode household surveys conducted in a sample of low-income settlements, and researcher-collected data on infrastructure, spatial characteristics, land uses and transport services within and around each sampled settlement.

The household surveys consisted of 310 interviews across 32 settlements in Gauteng, Mpumalanga and Limpopo. The settlements range from the urban periphery to isolated rural localities with housing stock including informal shack settlements to formal self-built and RDP-type housing, with household incomes of R3 500 and below.

Factors affecting settlement mobility and accessThe experience of accessibility affecting respondents’ lives is determined by different factors. Macro-level factors refer to a settlement’s location relative to large urban centres while micro-level factors refer to the travel environment and access to opportunities within the settlement or within walking distance.

Secondly, accessibility is not only spatially determined. The extent to which opportunities for

access and mobility can be utilised varies from person to person or from household to household, depending on income, gender, disability status, assets and personal motivation.

Macro-level accessibilityMacro-level accessibility is primarily driven by proximity to large urban conurbations. Urban areas by their nature have a higher density of work and other opportunities within a specified travel time or distance. Data on migration patterns suggests that CBDs are ‘beacon destinations’ or first stops for new migrants who might be more familiar with job prospects in CBDs than elsewhere.

Later, once they have settled and made local contacts, they might expand their job searches to other areas of the city where opportunities are less concentrated.

Low-income urban households in the sample seemed to exploit this large pool of accessible locations to maximise earnings or employment. Households in Mamelodi, for instance, accessed jobs across a wide area of Gauteng, including Centurion (40 km away) and Sandton (80 km away). Furthermore, urban jobs are located not just in traditional employment nodes such as CBDs or industrial areas, but also in suburban areas and lower density secondary nodes. This suggests it is not only the proximity to the CBD that is of value, but also the proximity to non-traditional employment areas in cities.

The second reason for the urban advantage is that cities tend to provide better transport services and a larger range of public transport modes. This provides differentiated access to various locations at various


service and price levels, making it more likely that a job–commute combination will be found that meets a person’s needs. While rail lines serve traditional CBDs and industrial employment areas, bus networks often include both traditional areas and some suburbs. Taxis excel at providing access to jobs in areas outside traditional nodes served by formal fixed-route bus and rail services. In fact, minibus taxis play a major role in providing access and mobility to low-income travellers, and are used extensively for work, social and occasionally education travel.

Public transport service patterns also help to stretch the influence area of the urban economy beyond the borders of the metropolitan area. For instance, some residents in Ekangala near Bronkhorstspruit, located 70 km from the Pretoria CBD in the adjacent rural district, reported travelling by bus to work locations as far as the East Rand.

Some very long travel times were observed across metro peripheral, secondary town and rural areas: these included travel times of up to three hours one-way from Ekangala to the East Rand, and two hours one-way from rural Mamone to Groblersdal. In most cases these very long trips are undertaken by medium-income workers: their incomes are high enough that the cost of a long commute can be carried (in terms of time and money), but not high enough to afford a car to reduce their commute times. This income–travel time relationship is consistent with location theory that holds that households with lower incomes prefer to locate in closer proximity to jobs than higher income households.

Although work opportunities are accessed across a wide range of locations, there is a weak trend of travel times to work decreasing in settlements where jobs are located nearby and reachable on foot or by taxi. For instance, some workers in Ekangala walk to work in the nearby Ekandustria industrial estate, or travel by taxi to Bronkhorstspruit within 45 minutes. The urban advantage is rather that of gaining access to a greater set of opportunities.

Worst off in terms of regional access are settlements that are far away from secondary towns, especially if social services and shopping facilities are not available within walking distance. Examples include Marapong (30 km from Groblersdal), Ga-Moretsele in Jane Furse (150 km from Groblersdal) and Craigburn B (60 km from Bushbuckridge). Evidence of an untenable location

includes high levels of dissatisfaction observed with the availability of public transport in these locations, and perhaps low job participation. In these more isolated locations public transport supply is critical to access jobs, services and goods, as walking is infeasible.

However, it would be wrong to equate isolated locations with universally problematic access and mobility environments. Rural isolation is in some cases offset by specific access-enhancing interventions, including the provision of facilities within walking distance.

A notable example is the role played by the service centre in Jane Furse, which provides access to shops, government services and some jobs. Most residents in Jane Furse are not unhappy with the level of transport access on offer, despite being located 150 km from the nearest town.

Given the importance of public transport in providing regional accessibility and the widespread perception among respondents that it is not priced at affordable levels, we examined taxi fares in urban and rural areas. There is a clear relationship between distance and fare with fares rising as trips become longer. There is also a wide variation in fares asked for a specific distance – a trip of 40 km can cost between R10 and R35.

For the same distance, fares tend to be higher in rural than urban areas, possibly reflecting differences in the depth of the market, the extent of local competition and poor conditions on rural roads. The implication is that rural people are doubly penalised: first, public transport is less available than elsewhere, contributing to isolation, joblessness, and lower incomes, and second, the transport costs more.

Accessibility within settlementsVarious factors determine local access and mobility within settlements. The first is the availability of services, schools and work opportunities within the settlement itself. Public transport is rarely used for travelling inside a settlement only. However, as low-income residential areas in South Africa have historically not been planned

Taxis excel at providing access to jobs in areas outside traditional nodes.


or developed as mixed-use areas, the supply of formal services and opportunities within settlements is relatively rare. In fact, the interviewers reported that most residents in the sample do not see their settlement as a destination for travel, apart from travel to visit friends.

As a counterpoint, in settlements with relatively well-provided street infrastructure laid out around a strong central core, with short walking distances to all surrounding areas, commercial development (albeit low-intensity) and taxi services seem to be attracted to the centre in a mutually reinforcing relationship.

A good example of the advantages of good settlement layout is Rethabiseng, with its combination of concentric street patterns located around a central semi-commercial core and well-used taxi rank. Access times to taxis were reported at less than ten minutes by all respondents in the sample. Highly accessible settlements with strong internal accessibility also tend to be older and have had more time for a local economy to develop and for government services such as clinics, schools and paved roads to be provided.

By contrast, settlements consisting exclusively of RDP housing or new shacks typically have no internal facilities, with accordingly low access to services and transport. This applies across urban and rural locations in the sample.

The second important factor affecting local access and mobility is the public transport provision within the area. Where rail exists in metropolitan areas, local access to the service is often problematic, as stations tend to be located along the edge of a settlement rather than at its centre, which lengthens walking distances.

For example, it takes 45 minutes to walk from Alaska informal settlement to the nearest train station. This increases vulnerability to crime, especially at night, and increases overall travel times considerably. Although feeder taxi services to and from stations or interchanges are often available, most low-income respondents indicate that an additional fare is unaffordable.

A third important factor is the presence of paved roads. The majority of settlements in the sample have no paved roads. This reduces the convenience of walking (especially in the rainy season) and directly affects the provision of public transport services inside the settlement. Taxis and bus services almost always, with a few exceptions in some deep rural locations, keep to paved roads, for reasons most likely related to the higher operating cost and the lower speeds incurred when operating on gravel roads.

Where paved roads enter the settlement, taxi operators are much more likely to serve residents directly, reducing walking distances for taxi users and increasing their access to outside locations. Lusaka (Mamelodi Extension 22) is a case in point: this formalised informal settlement has paved roads and taxi routes inside the settlement, which reduces typical work travel times from 45 minutes (for adjacent areas not directly served by taxis) to 20 minutes.

household mobility and accessHouseholds with similar incomes and lengths of tenure tend to settle in areas with similar access and mobility properties. The data shows that higher income households tend to live in more settled areas with better developed streets and activity spaces, and enjoy the benefits of higher local access.

Tenure is also important – the longer people live in an area, the more information they are likely to have about job opportunities and the more widely their travel envelopes are spread. Thus there seems to be a difference between mobility patterns across particular settlements, depending on how old the settlement is and when the migrants in question arrived.

As expected, there is also a correlation between income and transport mode use. Households with a higher income seem to use the private car more frequently, although typically as paying passengers rather than owner-drivers, as car ownership remains generally low among the sampled populations.

In almost all rural settlements, occasional car use was reported as a means of travelling to local towns for shopping and medical treatment. In these cases the car probably serves as an ‘in-fill’ mode that is used opportunistically, or as an emergency mode when transport is urgently needed when no taxis or buses are running. In either case, the car is perhaps a more significant mode than is typically thought and its role in reducing vulnerability and improving livelihoods might bear further scrutiny.

In all settlements walking is used extensively, especially for spaza shopping and educational trips. There is no noticeable evidence that walking is used less by higher income households. Possibly, though, low-income residents’ satisfaction with the extent of walking they undertake might vary according to their level of urbanisation.

Lastly, gender can be an important mediating factor determining whether the access benefits of being located in a specific place can actually be realised.

There are indications that women and women-headed households benefit less from urban locations in terms of gaining access to the economy than men, especially if their households include children.

InterventionsApart from better co-location of housing and social service facilities, key transport interventions to improve local accessibility might include:

Upgrading access roads to a standard where at •least one paved feeder route extends all the way through the centre of the settlement to encourage proximate taxi services

Settlements consisting exclusively of RDP housing or new shacks typically have no internal facilities, with accordingly low access to services and transport.

Women and women-headed households benefit less from urban locations in terms of gaining access to the economy than men.


Providing all-weather pedestrian links in strategic •locations within settlementsImproving accessibility and safety for public •transport users on major roads adjacent to settlements by formalising taxi stops and promoting community-oriented commercial development, even if it means reducing the mobility function and ceiling speeds of through roads at these locations.

From a policy perspective it is important to note that mobility-enhancing interventions should be both place-based and person-based to address the variation in people’s needs.

By understanding the broad dimensions of access needs, spatial and transport planners may better fashion interventions that address problems of exclusion, tailored to the specific needs and constraints of a locality. v

CHRISTO VENTER IS FROM

THE DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL

ENGINEERING AT THE UNIVERSITy

OF PRETORIA. CATHERINE

CROSS IS WITH THE HUMAN

SCIENCES RESEARCH COUNCIL.

THIS IS DRAWN FROM A PAPER

THEy PRESENTED AT THE

SOUTH AFRICAN TRANSPORT

CONFERENCE IN JULy 2011.

THE WORK IS FUNDED By THE

DEPARTMENT OF SCIENCE AND

TECHNOLOGy


Driving transformation through transport

Striving to serve 200,000 passengers per day by 2015.

An integrated public transport system with

BRT trunk, direct and feeder routes serving the entire Rustenburg Municipality

Just one element of the integrated system planned

An effective public transport system enhances mobility and the growth of a city.

Rustenburg is no stranger to growth, and as one of the fastest developing regions in South Africa is committed to ensuring its citizens and visitors are able to access efficient, affordable and safe public transport in the future.

The Rustenburg Rapid Transport (RRT) project is a key focus for the Rustenburg Local Municipality for the next five years and is a catalyst to our bigger 2025 Rustenburg City Development Strategy.

Through the transition process, our approach is to ensure that all stakeholders and businesses are kept informed of the progress, opportunities and issues facing the project, and to work together to deliver a flagship project, not only for our city, but for our province and our country.

I urge anybody with an interest to register with the project for regular updates. Together we can take transport further.

Councillor Mpho KhunouExecutive Mayor: Rustenburg

www.rustenburgrapidtransport.co.za


Driving transformation through transport

Striving to serve 200,000 passengers per day by 2015.

An integrated public transport system with

BRT trunk, direct and feeder routes serving the entire Rustenburg Municipality

Just one element of the integrated system planned

An effective public transport system enhances mobility and the growth of a city.

Rustenburg is no stranger to growth, and as one of the fastest developing regions in South Africa is committed to ensuring its citizens and visitors are able to access efficient, affordable and safe public transport in the future.

The Rustenburg Rapid Transport (RRT) project is a key focus for the Rustenburg Local Municipality for the next five years and is a catalyst to our bigger 2025 Rustenburg City Development Strategy.

Through the transition process, our approach is to ensure that all stakeholders and businesses are kept informed of the progress, opportunities and issues facing the project, and to work together to deliver a flagship project, not only for our city, but for our province and our country.

I urge anybody with an interest to register with the project for regular updates. Together we can take transport further.

Councillor Mpho KhunouExecutive Mayor: Rustenburg

www.rustenburgrapidtransport.co.za


rOAD SAFETy

liCenCe tO killCan anything change our driving behaviour and its impact on vulnerable cyclists as well as other road users? GAIL JENNINGS sought insights from defence attorney William Booth, and Western Cape MEC for Transport, Robin Carlisle.

In a recent round of Facebook activism, the following found its way into my inbox: ‘instead of telling someone who rides a bicycle how dangerous it is ... why don’t you look twice before

switching lanes, making left turns, or pulling out of a driveway. stay on your side of the road, especially at corners. Don’t follow too closely. Keep your eyes on the road and off your cellphones. if you care about someone who rides a bicycle, re-post!’

‘Rides a bicycle’ could just as easily be replaced with ‘travels in a car, bus or taxi’, or ‘walks’, but it’s bicycle safety in particular that has found its way into the spotlight recently with the recent sentencing of Andries Zuiderma, a motorist convicted in August for the killing of cyclist Jan Hendrik Olivier five years ago.

Prosecutor Bantu Nyembezi had asked that Zuiderma be given a prison sentence with early release into house arrest, saying that the sentence had to remind motorists that they were in control [or not in control] of a lethal instrument that could cause death

or severe injury. He said the law required motorists to exercise proper care while driving and that severe penalties would be handed down to those who killed someone because of negligence.

Zuiderma, however, was sentenced in the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court to five years suspended for five years on a charge of culpable homicide, and sentenced to three years’ house arrest and a R5 000 fine or nine months in jail. ‘Nogal,’ as Western Cape MEC for Transport Robin Carlisle puts it, at the request of his defence attorney William Booth, Zuiderma will be allowed to pay the fine off in monthly installments of R1 000. His driving licence was also suspended for nine months.

The public, and Carlisle, reacted with astonishment and outrage – to what seems like yet another addition to the litany of low sentences for killing others. Carlisle has requested that the State appeal the sentence.

So it’s no surprise that citizens are turning to our shared sense of humanity as a last-resort road-safety


tactic, as it seems like all other methodology is failing us. Even the City of Joburg’s Department of Transport, which has drawn up a list of values by which it operates, includes ‘being responsible for my behaviour as a driver, passenger or pedestrian,’ and ‘focus on what you are doing’ (see poster overleaf).

‘Everybody is entitled to legal representation,’ says Booth, and in most instances the public doesn’t know enough about the processes of courts to make informed comment. Cases are also sometimes ‘wrongly and badly reported,’ he says. ‘Correctional supervision, if properly implemented, is a serious punishment.’

Although Nyembezi said Zuiderma’s failure to stop at the accident scene was an aggravating factor, Booth points out that driving away, while indeed a crime in its own right, does not make the culpability any worse. ‘It all happens in a split second,’ says Booth. ‘The degree of negligence is essential for sentencing, and in the Zuiderma case, the driver was not found to be reckless, and he was within the speed limit. The courts have to look at the facts.’

But whatever the finer points of court decision-making, the public still hears a clear message. ‘The Zuiderma case has done a great deal of damage,’ says Carlisle,‘ which is to confirm the view that if you kill somebody in circumstances that would normally be

The message of the NYC Bicycle Safety Coalition: ‘The best protection a cyclist has is our attention… There is one thing everyone can do… Look.


culpable homicide or even murder, with a smart enough lawyer you should not have to serve any time.’

And although Booth said the court was dealing with a person without criminal tendencies, and not someone who needed to be removed from society, Carlisle points out that someone of Zuiderma’s age and socio-economic status is precisely the category of person most likely to kill on the road: a car-driving (whether licensed or not) male in his 20s; precisely the ‘category’ of person who most needs to grasp the concept of ‘car-as-lethal-instrument’.

‘The essence of saving lives on the road is that there must be consequences for doing the things that cost the lives. R5 000, with six months to pay, is not a painful consequence at all. And if we don’t have consequences, we won’t cut the death rate. It’s as simple as that.’

Carlisle cites a recent three-week visit to England. ‘In Lancaster, just before we arrived, a guy had been driving along one of those narrow roads with hedges, with too much hooch in him. He killed two cyclists. Before we left for home he had already been sentenced – a nice, savage sentence, something in or order of 10 years. That’s consequences.’

Booth would agree about the concept of consequences. Like Carlisle, he’ll never drive under the influence of alcohol, using drive-home services instead; apart from every other good reason, as public figures they both have too much to lose.

So, how then are we going to sort out what is going on in our roads? A recent proposal has been the reduction of speed limits on freeways, from 120 km to 100 km, although what would be more useful perhaps would be to follow the European lead and reduce residential road speeds to 50 km per hour or less.

‘Road safety has to do with driver training, and of course improving public transport,’ says Booth. And drinking establishments need to be more vigilant in not permitting people to drive drunk. ‘Bars and pubs have an important role to play.’

And, of course, better law enforcement. ‘If they do their work better, maybe it would make my job more difficult,’ says Booth.

Carlisle would agree there: ‘The business of the police, and then the National Prosecuting Authority, is to present a good-enough case to the courts so that the magistrate has no option but to pronounce a stiffer sentence,’ he says. The courts didn’t find that Zuiderma was drunk, or travelling at high speed, because the police and prosecution were not able to present the case that he was.

‘The fact is that the police were not able to provide a case where the magistrate could say, “although we were not able to test him for alcohol, there is every reason to believe that he had been drinking and driving too fast …” The magistrate didn’t have this information, because the investigating officers were not able to provide it, not necessarily because it was not the case.’

Booth, a former prosecutor, suggests that the

courts should become ‘a lot more innovative’ in their sentencing. ‘If correctional services were more jacked up, this punishment would be more effective. But what’s the point of community service meaning sweeping at a police station – rather let him spend time in a hospital, that would be more effective.’

‘The courts obviously do have to send a message out there that if you commit a serious crime, but does slight negligence mean that you have to go to jail?’ he asks.

Jail, however, is perhaps the consequence most people ‘without criminal tendencies’ fear most: ‘Even one night in the cells, if you’re found driving over the limit, believe me, that’s consequences,’ says Carlisle. v

RIGHT: City of Joburg – one of

its transport values is Accountability.



FUNCTIONSThe RTIA derives its mandate and functions from the AARTO Act, which states that the objects of the Agency, are, despite the Criminal Procedure Act, 1977 (Act No. 51 of 1977):

to encourage compliance with the national and provincial laws and municipal by-laws relating to road traffi c and to promote road traffi c safety; to encourage the payment of penalties imposed for infringements and to allow alleged minor infringers to make representations; to establish a procedure for the effective and expeditious adjudication of infringements; to alleviate the burden on the courts of trying offenders for infringements; to penalise drivers and operators who are guilty of

The core values of the RTIA are:Integrity, transparency, fairness, accessibility and accountability.Values

Organisational overview:

The Road Traffi c Infringement

Agency (RTIA) is a scheduled

entity in terms of the Public Finance

Management Act, 1 of 1999 as

amended. The role of the agency is

to forge a closer, more effective

and effi cient link between

enforcement and the adjudication

processes. The agency

is mandated to ensure the

implementation of objective,

transparent and fair systems

that encourage compliance with all

road traffi c laws.

For more information on the RTIA visit our website at www.rtia.co.za

Tel: 011 256 1000 | Fax: 011 256 1011e-mail: [email protected]

Physical:Waterfall Edge B, Howick Close,Waterfall Park, Bekker Road, Midrand 1685

COMMUNICATION TEAM

Mr Fakazi MalindzisaTel: 011 256 1015 | email: [email protected] and

Ms Mthunzikazi Mbungwana Tel: 011 256 1016 | email: [email protected]

CONTACT US

An informed, compliant and safe road user

community.


An informed, compliant and safe road user community.Vision

The board of directors and executive management

infringements or offences through the imposition of demerit points leading to the suspension and cancellation of driving licences, professional driving permits or operator cards; to reward law-abiding behaviour by reducing demerit points where they have been incurred if infringements or offences are not committed over specified periods; to establish an agency to support the law enforce-ment and judicial authorities and to undertake the administrative adjudication process; and to strengthen co-operation between the prosecuting and law enforcement authorities by establishing a board to govern the agency.

The AARTO Act therefore envisaged the establishment

of an agency to manage the adjudication of road traffic offences in the country. This stems from a process of de-criminalizing certain traffic violations, which in their majority are classified as infringements, and thereby deal with them administratively in order to introduce the necessary efficiencies. Whereas all matters related to traffic violations were previously dealt with under the Criminal Procedure Act, with the establishment of the agency and implementation of the AARTO, most of these matters are now dealt with administratively, with the resultant effect of freeing the courts and judicial authorities to deal with more serious criminal matters. From its inception, the agency realized that the mag-nitude of its functions is great and thus an appropriate and supportive culture was required to enhance the

performance of the entity and the successful achieve-ment of its mandate.

MISSIONTo encourage compliance with road traffic laws in South Africa through:

communication programmes;

administrative adjudication;

and cancellation of driving licenses and operator cards; and rewarding compliant offenders.

TOP ROW FROM LEFT

Ms Nomini Rapoo (Non-Executive Chairperson)

Mr Japh Chuwe (Executive Director)

Mr Thomas Dicker (Non-Executive Director)

Mr Christopher Manzini (Non-Executive

Director)

BOTTOM ROW FROM LEFT

Mr Naas Jordaan (Non-Executive Director)

Mr Sherman Amos (Deputy Registrar)

Ms Portia Mngomezulu (Acting CFO)

Mr Peter Nthotso (Acting Company Secretary)

Meet the leadership


LAW AND POLICy

????????????????

Putting WORdS into deedS

Passed by Parliament in 2009, and signed into law with regulations in 2010, the National Land Transport Act (NLTA) is starting to define the public transport landscape as provinces and municipalities start growing into the new powers and functions the Act gives them. SARAh hEThERINGTON points to some of the areas where the Act is starting to make a difference.

Devolving powers to the local levelOne of the groundbreaking things about the NLTA is the clear way in which it defines the roles and functions of the three spheres of government in relation to transport. Section 11 of the NLTA defines the land transport responsibilities of the different government spheres. National and provincial government are tasked with strategic, regulatory and coordinating functions while local government is responsible for managing the operational components of public transport and ‘the planning, implementation and management of modally integrated public transport networks ... within the municipal area’.

This is consistent with international best practice in implementing responsive and effective integrated public transport service delivery.

Post the World Cup, which saw an intense focus country-wide on the roll-out of new infrastructure, municipalities are starting to engage NLTA policy with a new confidence, exploring taking on new roles and proposing bold approaches to public transport planning.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Western Cape and the City of Cape Town have been extremely keen to run with the opportunity for more autonomy provided by the policy shift.

The launch of the first MyCiTi trunk route for Cape Town’s bus rapid transit system encompassed in-depth engagement with the minibus-taxi industry, guided by

the prescripts of the NLTA. In terms of this, the City has signed an interim contract with affected operators in the minibus and scheduled bus sector. It is now making preparations to begin negotiating a long-term contract with all of the operators who will be affected by the full implementation of phase 1A of the MyCiTi system. This area along Cape Town’s west coast includes the inner city to Atlantis trunk and feeder routes, a network of feeder routes in the Cape Town inner city and feeder routes extending through the Atlantic Seaboard to Hout Bay and from the City through Woodstock and Salt River.

In George, there is also progress being made towards integrated public transport, with the local municipality as the contracting party and support from the provincial transport department in terms of finances and resources. See page 30 for the full story.

In the latest development, Mangaung has put out a bid for the implementation of an integrated public transport network (IPTN), which should be great news for the people of Bloemfontein.

Provincial Regulatory Entities get goingThe NLTA requires that provinces disband their operating licensing boards and replace these with bodies called Provincial Regulatory Entities, known as PREs. This has been done in KwaZulu-Natal and Western Cape where the PRE is located in a state-of-the-art building in Athlone. In Gauteng the MEC for Transport Ismail Vadi has published regulations to establish the Gauteng PRE and disestablish the Gauteng Operation Licensing Board, which was established under the Gauteng Public Passenger Road Transport Act of 2001.

The shift is one from a board appointed by the minister to a regulatory body that is staffed by public servants and makes decisions in terms of the law and regulations, limiting too much discretion. Applied properly, this amounts to a tightening up of how operating licences are granted to the minibus and bus industry as well as metered taxis, limiting the potential for overtrading and conflict about routes.

Mangaung is the latest city to put out a bid for an integrated public transport network – great news for the people of Bloemfontein.


The legislation says that the PRE must monitor and oversee public transport in the province and receive and decide on applications for operating licences for transport within a province where no municipality exists to which the operating licence function has been assigned.

In the Western Cape, the City of Cape Town together with the province and National Department of Transport have commissioned a study into the implications of the metro taking on the operating licensing function. Provided for by the NLTA, this requires the development of dedicated capacity at local municipality level and the provision of funding from the national fiscus. It is hoped that this pilot project will point the way and provide lessons for the rest of the country’s metros.

Once the function is devolved to the local level, municipalities have a broader set of powers, as the way in which the licensing function is exercised also changes. This will include the ability to place a moratorium on certain routes, where supply is deemed to exceed demand, and to open up new routes in closer alignment with the municipalities planning and development priorities.

Devolving other functions to municipalities In addition to taking on the operating licensing function, the NLTA provides for a greater delegation of power to the municipal level when it comes to land transport

matters. This includes transport planning, managing modally integrated public transport networks, service level planning in consultation with the South African Rail Commuter Corporation, and managing integrated ticketing systems with revenue sharing among operators and structures for subsidised services.

Delivering his budget speech earlier this year, finance minister Pravin Gordhan confirmed that the Treasury supported moving public transport subsidies from the provincial to the local level. This will also facilitate the use of existing public transport subsidies in the roll out of new integrated public transport networks. These could be bus rapid transport networks, or other networks that involve an integrated approach to managing different modes. v

For more info call the Transport Information Centre (toll-free 24/7) 0800 65 64 63 www.capetown.gov.za/myciti

CONNECT WITH MYCITI.Get the ticket that takes you places in and around Cape Town.

Airport – Civic CentreNo stops. No delays. Valid for a direct trip between the Airport Station and the Civic Centre station.

Table View feeder routesBuses also run on three feeder routes to and from the main station at Table View.F14: Big Bay - ParklandsF15: Blouberg Sands - Parklands EastF16: Marine Circle - Blouberg Sands

Gardens–Civic–WaterfrontGo anywhere in town on thisroute that runs from Gardensto the Waterfront via the Civic Centre.

Table View – Civic CentreIncludes a transfer from any West Coast feeder station/stop to the Table View station as well as an dditional trip from the Civic Centre station to any other station or stop in town.*

*Trunk route users travel for free on feeder routes, provided they don’t leave the connecting stations.

Cape Town is investigating the implications of taking on the operating licensing function.


PUBLIC TrANSPOrT

When a jumP isn’t rightERWIN VAN DIJK and GERhARD hITGE make the case for an incremental approach to public transport improvements − the building of an upward spiral where small, cost-effective improvements stimulate growth in public transport, which again justifies further improvements.

The brT and Gautrain projects have shown that public transport in south Africa can offer higher levels of quality and be more competitive with the private car than was

traditionally thought possible. People may argue that these projects were necessary not only for the World Cup but necessary to restore faith in the public transport system. nevertheless, a country such as south Africa should, besides acknowledging the need for improved public transport, also accept the developmental state of the country. Funds are finite and we need to spend the available capital wisely.

This does not necessarily mean that a widely available quality public transport is not realistic, but rather that it needs a realistic step-by-step implementation that fits the available funding. Upgrading does not have to consist only of the phased roll-out of a new public transport flavour such as BRT, but could also include incremental upgrades of existing public transport corridors. In other words, public transport can be improved by many small steps instead of a few extensively planned and costly large jumps.

Incrementalism is the smart choiceThere are several circumstances that favour an incremental approach to public transport improvements:

Users would like to see improvement happen today rather than tomorrow. Though the ‘media value’ of small improvements is limited, they display visible progress to day-to-day users. Small changes send a signal to users that public transport is taken seriously.

City-wide roll-out of new technologies such as BrT requires huge capital investment upfront. Introduction of full-scale high-quality public transport instantly requires huge capital investment, while an incremental approach for improving public transport only requires limited capital funding at each step. This acknowledges the developmental state of the country.

Cities have an existing public transport network that cannot be ignored. Though the quality is low, at present, due to underinvestment, the available fleet of buses and taxis, stops, BMT lanes and bus lanes should still be incorporated as much as possible in improved public transport systems.

Public transport systems are never finished and require constant fine tuning to fit the latest technological advances and needs. Even the comprehensive BRT plans are never finished and require constant tweaking to match travel demand

Public transport can be improved by many small steps instead of a few extensively planned and costly large jumps.


and customer needs. From the first day of operation of a new BRT system, the tweaking begins to address changing and emerging user demands.

Forward planning comes with a high degree of uncertainty.Capital investment in transport is designed to last for at least ten years, and has to plan for and speculate about, among other things, the development of user needs. This requires public transport planning approaches to be flexible and to respond to the new user needs that emerge over time.

Benefits of incrementalismAn argument for incremental improvements is that smaller scale improvements can be made in more parts of a city than high-cost improvements that are limited to one route at a time.

A benefit of incremental upgrade in South Africa is that transformation of the minibus taxi industry and the connectional bus network could occur over a large part of a city. Similarly, improvements in brand image or information systems can benefit large, if not all,

parts of the system, and do not have to be restricted to single routes or corridors.

Given the prolonged period of under-investment in public transport in this country, an incremental approach over an entire system illustrates intent by government, while giving comfort to communities not benefiting from large-scale infrastructural improvements that their areas will not be overlooked in the future.

A final argument is the flexibility that an incremental approach provides. This not only allows planners to adjust to macroeconomic changes but also to respond to the impact of improvements. This will enhance efficiency of investment and also prevent investments in public transport systems that are not needed at a particular stage.

An argument for incremental improvements is that smaller scale improvements can be made in more parts of a city than high-cost improvements that are limited to one route at a time.

SatisfiersDissatisfiers

Experience9%

Comfort12%

Convenience14%

Speed15%

Travel time from origin to destination

Reliance

Mental effort

Physical effort

Emotions

Safety and Reliability50%

SOURCE: M. VAN HAGEN (2003) BELEVINGSWAARDE STATIONS.CVS 2003

BELOW: Dutch customer experience pyramid


Incorporating different user needsAn incremental approach can respond to evolving user needs and gradually improve the system over time. It can also address customer experience in the short term and provide a roadmap for the medium and long term development of the system.

There are several important components of public transport user experience that should be addressed, as summarised in the customer experience pyramid. First, dissatisfiers have to be met in order to provide for reasonable travel for existing public transport captives (travel time, punctuality and information). Second, satisfiers need to be addressed that promote public transport as a smart choice for existing car users (seating, transfers, integrated ticketing, station and staff). The percentage of users that values each component as most important is included in the diagram. Public transport planning in general should accommodate both public transport captives and choice users.

Merge unplanned incrementalism into a well-managed incremental planning approachAn incremental approach is not new to public transport planning. All over the world, existing systems are

constantly being tweaked in order to meet user needs. Examples of this are new marketing campaigns, new ticket packages, time schedule improvement, additional capacity, shorter transfer times, reducing travel time and improving staff friendliness.

Besides tweaking the established high-quality public transport systems, the practice of often unplanned incremental system upgrades is observed in many public transport-oriented countries. Public transport systems gradually evolve: for instance, scheduled bus services are upgraded to BRT, and in later stages even LRT, as a result of growth in demand due to higher quality, and the maturing of routes and corridors. In Amsterdam (the Netherlands), the improvement of existing bus networks resulted in the introduction of ZuidTangent BRT link, which is now being considered for conversion to LRT.

South Africa has public transport systems that require both urgent tweaking and system upgrades. The challenge, however, is to coordinate these often unplanned incremental upgrades and merge them into a planned and well-managed incremental approach, one that promotes systematic and continuous improvement of public transport.

Success factors for incrementalismThere are four key success factors for incrementalism.

The first is political will and commitment. An incremental approach generally exceeds political

South Africa has public transport systems that require both urgent tweaking and system upgrades. The challenge, however, is to coordinate these often unplanned incremental upgrades and merge them into a planned and well-managed incremental approach.

Demand for public transport service grows as more user needs

are met and public transport becomes a smart choice for travel

Interventions are merged into one incremental approach to public

transport improvement

Improve scheduling &

branding

Additional buses for corridor

Provide BMT lanes

Introduce 18 metre buses

Upgrade public transport facilities, NMT links and Park

& Ride

Dem

and

for

publ

ic t

rans

port

Leve

l of

serv

ice

Time

BELOW: Incremental approach to public transport improvements


terms of office. Consistency is required in the implementation, and politicians should not be judged by the number of ribbons they cut, but on their commitment to building incrementally towards a desired integrated public transport system that provides for all.

Second, a hands-on funding stream should be available to improve public transport gradually on a year-to-year basis. Funding sources for incremental upgrades should not necessarily be based only on national grants, but should also link to income derived from parking and other levies and user charges. The Municipal Land Transport Fund (NLTA, 2009) makes provision for such cross-subsidisation.

Third, the different public transport responsibilities need to be integrated. This does not necessarily mean that the municipality must own the whole public transport system, but it must at least have a set of tools to influence service delivery performance. The NLTA (2009) provides arrangements to promote the municipality as a key service delivery mechanism for integrated public transport networks.

Fourth, corridors need to be prioritised for incremental upgrading. Public transport services in higher density, mixed-use corridors that are serving not only work trips but a variety of trip purposes throughout the day, should be targeted first. This generates more income and helps to stimulate development along the route, and could also facilitate the integration of social and recreational activities among different communities within the city.

A practical example of an incremental planning approachWhen a corridor or area has been selected to be incrementally improved, the interventions should be carefully selected to enhance key strengths and address key constraints of current services. For instance, first improve the loyalty of existing customers by addressing their concerns before adding features that aim to attract new users. Each corridor requires its unique intervention plan that addresses local needs.

A possible high-level intervention plan for a scheduled bus corridor could be:Step 1: Improved scheduling of existing servicesStep 2: Branding of busesStep 3: Additional buses for the corridorStep 4: Extension of BMT lanesStep 5: Introduction of new busesStep 6: Upgrading public transport stops, Non-Motorised Transport links and Park & RideStep 7: Prioritising buses at traffic signalsStep 8: Introduction of CCTV and Integrated Ticketing SystemStep 9: Real time travel information at stopsStep 10: Off-board fare collection and station facilities at interchanges v

ERWIN VAN DIJK WORKS AS A LAND USE AND TRANSPORT PLANNER AT SSI ENGINEERS

AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTANTS AND GERHARD HITGE WORKS AT THE

INTEGRATED TRANSPORT PLANNING DEPARTMENT OF THE CITy OF CAPE TOWN.

Pantone 1807C20M100Y80K5

25% K

transportation professionals transportation professionals

Tel: +27 (0)12 349 1886/7/8

Fax: +27 (0)12 349 1515

Email: [email protected]

www.namela.co.za

advancing smart growth through:

integrated public transport networks and BRT

freight strategies and overload control

rural transport for development

green transport

project business and �nancial plans

capacity building, skills transfer and mentoring

namela ad 105Wx275D.indd 1 2010/10/11 8:53 AM


rAIL

By LUKE REID

PICS By RODGER BOSCH AND

GAIL JENNINGS

Can we protect our trains from COPPeR thieveS?

Modern infrastructure and expensive security technology are not going to save south Africa’s celebrated Gautrain from copper cable thieves, neither

today nor in the future. This is the difficult reality that its operating company bombela has had to acknowledge, and it confirms the analysis of administrators in the Passenger rail Association of south Africa (Prasa), who have suffered continuous attacks on their infrastructure for decades.

But it is still possible that copper theft can be dealt with, allowing rail networks to offer the uninterrupted services that will encourage South Africans to wholeheartedly commit to public transport. The attention raised by the Gautrain attacks may turn out to be the stimulus for the development of a solution that will benefit a wide range of public service providers.

It took just two weeks for the new Gautrain route from Johannesburg to Tshwane to rack up two significant copper theft attacks, with lengthy interruptions to the service. One incident was at a power substation, and the other involved signalling cables.

Soon afterwards Bombela announced that it had set up a task team to look for solutions, and CEO Jack van der Merwe said that the issue was being addressed at the highest level with all major role-players.

Copper theft has plagued Eskom, Telkom and Transnet for decades, not to mention municipalities and private businesses. At the same time, many other countries around the world face similar problems. This has resulted in the local and international development of a wide range of methods and devices for combating copper theft (see table on page 55), and should, in principle, allow for the risks to be substantially minimised.

‘We’re sitting ducks’Essentially you get two types of copper thieves: the ‘bread-and-butter’ copper thief, who is selling copper in

order to eat for a week; and the syndicates. ‘Metrorail says they have bread-and-butter copper

theft perhaps every day,’ says Gautrain CEO Jack van der Merwe, ‘and as a result they also use ‘signal men’, as their signalling systems are outside of the cab.

‘Gautrain is much more vulnerable, as our signaling system is within the cab,’ he says. ‘But Gautrain is also more confined, so we are able to saturate our space with the technology and security.’

But, there are overarching problems that limit the value of technical solutions before they are even considered. To begin with, there is something of an arms race between service providers and cable thieves, with the bad guys rapidly developing ways to counteract new security measures. A senior Metrorail official describes dealing with highly sophisticated syndicates: ‘Whatever you do, they’re onto it. They’re so innovative, and they have a lot of resources. For example you’ll find that they can process the copper into bars themselves, with stripping machines and smelting equipment.’

Another problem is the size of the railway networks that need to be protected, which makes it extremely expensive to retrofit security apparatus across an entire system. Some solutions simply cost too much. This cost may not only be financial; there may also be an impact on the ability of the operator to deliver its service. For example, Bombela originally considered encasing the Gautrain’s copper cables in concrete to protect them, but had to abandon this idea as it would block its own access to the cables for maintenance and adjustment.

Even a relatively affordable solution is going to require a large investment, so there must be confidence that it will be effective enough to justify its cost. And here the most damning problem: it is not enough to prevent thieves from stealing copper cables – thieves must be discouraged even from trying to steal cables.

Copper is a valuable material, but the cost of replacing it often pales into insignificance compared


It took just two weeks for the new Gautrain route from Johannesburg to Tshwane to rack up two significant copper theft attacks, with lengthy interruptions to the service.


to the cost of having services interrupted and repairing the damage thieves do to infrastructure while they are extracting particular copper elements. The total cost may be just as large when an opportunist damages a substation while attempting to steal a small copper transformer component as when a large gang successfully makes off with tens of kilometres of copper cable. While most security devices are reasonably effective in making it difficult to steal cable, on rail networks it doesn’t matter whether the thief is successful – the same level of damage may be done if they try and fail. There are already significant barriers in place; no electric fence can compare to the 400 000 V of an Eskom power line, but that doesn’t deter cable thieves from trying to steal them anyway.

A larger solutionThe furore around the Gautrain stoppages in August has now died down. In a recent response to questions about new security measures, Gautrain spokesperson Errol Braithwaite referred to the ‘clear efficacy of the security measures [Bombela has] already put in place’, which ‘[Bombela] continues to review and improve’.

And indeed, Bombela has a lot of security. A visible

security presence is provided by a dedicated police unit that is continuously deployed on the system. There is extensive CCTV coverage and a fully fenced rail reserve. Metrorail in the Western Cape, according to a recent statement, has 481 kilometres of track to protect, and battles to maintain fencing in critical areas, never mind the CCTV and police.

Braithwaite points out that, ‘In the 15 months that we have been operational the Gautrain has suffered from only two incidents of cable theft, which have impacted train services. This compared to the South African rail network as a whole, which we are informed falls victim to cable theft on average three to five times every day.’ Braithwaite also describes how several attempts to steal cable may have been averted when trespassers have been arrested.

But the implication is that, on the ground, it is essentially going to be ‘business as usual’ for Bombela. Admitting that ‘[copper theft] is a massive countrywide scourge that Gautrain cannot resolve on its own,’ Braithwaite describes how, ‘any solution will be part of a broad advance. We have therefore engaged with stakeholders including the relevant security and political authorities as well as the Metal Recyclers Association to

There is something of an arms race between service providers and cable thieves, with the bad guys rapidly developing ways to counteract new security measures.


enlist a broad-based front which can combat this crime.’ As many other role-players and commentators have

noted, the solution to copper theft is to deal with the demand for metal, which makes criminals try to steal it, interrupting services even if they don’t succeed. And tackling demand can only happen at a national level.

A key aim is to increase the seriousness with which police and other regulating authorities approach copper theft, thereby strictly controlling the resale of stolen copper and its movement in and out of the country. ‘you have to close the loop,’ says Gautrain CEO Jack van der Merwe. ‘If you can catch a potential copper thief today, you are probably only able to charge them with vagrancy or tresspassing, that’s about it.

‘So this has to be elevated to become a serious economic crime – otherwise the threat is simply not enough.’ The 2009 Second Hand Goods Bill is aimed at tightening the regulation of scrap-metal dealers, and giving police much greater powers to police this trade. The future looks bright, with the new Bill expected to be implemented from early 2012, but it will be its robust application that actually makes a difference.

Other countries are doing similar things. In the UK, where Transport Minister Norman Baker recently put the cost of cable theft at £1 billion a year, rail operators have started calling for the urgent implementation of a more robust licensing system, after their own attempts to deal with copper theft have plainly failed to deter innovative thieves. In cities where a much larger proportion of the population use trains, the result has been massive dis-ruptions that make the Gautrain’s problems look petty. v

some strategies for preventing copper theft analysis

Tagging cables with microscopic identification dots that allow them to be easily traced back to their original owner.

‘DataDots’, applied in a range of forms including in liquid and on a microscopic thread, have significantly improved the police’s ability to track stolen cars and successfully prosecute thieves. They may play an important role in allowing the sale of cable to be regulated. Although this identification is extremely difficult to remove from cables, it can’t survive smelting.

‘Tiger wire’ has strands of aluminium or bismuth wound through the cable that contaminate the copper when it is melted and make it almost worthless for resale.

Ten years ago Transnet Freight Rail began a large-scale programme to replace its overhead cables with tiger wire, particularly in cable theft hotspots. However, the approach does not seem to have been successful enough to have been widely replicated.

Physical restraints, such as local company Cable Theft Solutions’ system, which uses a sleeve of recycled truck tyres to prevent cables being tampered with or dragged out of the ground.

Preliminary tests of the system by Johannesburg City Power have apparently been successful. However this solution only covers cables, requires a complicated extraction process, and is expensive to implement on a large scale.

Improving security with long-range optical, Infrared and night-vision scanners, sometimes with automated movement sensors.

Companies have been marketing these kinds of systems to a range of South African clients, sometimes mounted on a bakkie for mobility. They have shown a lot of promise, and could enhance existing security systems.

Replacing copper signal cables with wireless systems or fibre-optic cables. The technology to do this in a reliable and cost-effective way has not been developed, and copper signalling cables continue to be used around the world.

Cable alarm systems that detect when a cable has been cut. For a rail network, once the cable has been cut and the alarm set off, the damage has already been done, even if the theft is averted. These types of systems are not fully developed, and have more potential for use with overhead cables.

The 2009 Second Hand Goods Bill is aimed at tightening the regulation of scrap-metal dealers, and giving police much greater powers to police this trade.


The Transport Education and Training Authority,

in partnership with the Department of Transport,

Safety and Liaison and Department of Education

launched the first ever provincial career expo for

the transport sector.

This took place on 29 July 2011 in De Aar

in the Pixley ka Seme region, where 15 schools

were identified to be part of the expo.

The key objective of the career exhibitions is

to educate and create awareness amongst learn-

ers in especially rural areas on bursaries, learner-

ships and career opportunities in the Transport

Sector. Life Orientation Educators, Skills Develop-

ment Facilitators, Non-Governmental Organisa-

tions and Community Based Organisations

participated in the Capacity Building Workshops

in order to spread the message further and

provide guidance to learners on the careers in

the Transport sector. The main focus was on the

scare and critical skills in the Transport Sector.

The MEC for Transport, Safety and Liaison

officiated at the event. He advised the learners

Together taking transportTransport Month October 2011

to greater heights

to not forget the transport sector when choos-

ing a career. The MEC emphasised the natural

transport resources we have in the province,

such as the harbour at Port Nolloth and that

he wishes to see the learners take advantage of

these opportunities given them by going into

careers such as pilots.

Various exhibitors made presentations for the

learners, including: PRASA, TRANSNET, Traffic

and Transport, Water Affairs, Education, Agri-

culture, Land Reform and Rural Development,

Labour and the SANDF.

The Britstown Traffic station under the

leadership of Mr. Tshaliti and Mr. Cloete had a

beautiful stall.

This station together with the Pixley ka Seme

Regional office played an integral part of the

planning of the event.

The biggest sponsor of this event was PRASA

who assisted with 8 buses for the transportation

of learners from schools to the venue and back.

The Department of Transport has identified and committed October as Transport Month. This is an annual event in which provincial departments responsible for Transport, make use of the opportunity to show case the different

transport programs and projects in their respective Provinces and to highlight the importance of transport in society. The MEC for Transport, Safety and Liaison, Honourable Patrick Mabilo will be launching the Northern Cape 2011

October Transport Month on 03 October 2011, Groblershoop T – Junction (N8 & N10) at 11:00.

For enquiries please contact Ms. Tlotlo Modiakgotla at 053 839 1702

This sponsorship saw the drivers of the buses

driving distances exceeding 2500 in the two days.

We certainly would not have been able to

make a success of the event without this

contribution.

Transport Operations took part in two main

projects for Mandela Day.

The one project was the Ministerial project

which took place in Victoria West on 18 July

2011. The team was allocated a house belonging

to a disabled woman by the name of Anna. The

house needed to be painted and cleaned. The

team cleaned the house and used their money

to buy electricity. In addition, it was found that

Anna did not have an identity document and

they arranged for the Department of Home Af-

fairs to visit Anna and give assistance with the

application for an identity document.

The Directorate Transport Operations agreed

to adopt the house and to find innovative ways of

assisting Anna, for example to assist her with an

application for social grant, etc.

The other Mandela Day project was on the

23 July 2011 in Kalkwerf, 30 kilometres from

TRANSPORT CAREER EXPO

MANDELA DAY PROJECTS The Transport Inspectorate function was

launched by the MEC for Transport, Safety and

Liaison in April 2011.

As a country, South Africa undertook as part

of the Millenium Development Goals to reduce

the fatalities on our roads with 50% by 2014. We

are also aware that the United Nations and the

Department of Transport launched the Decade of

Action to make our roads safer.

The purpose of launching the Transport

“The MEC emphasised the natural transport resources we have in the province, such as the harbour at Port Nolloth and that he wishes to see the learners take advantage of these opportunities given them by going into careers such as pilots.”

Groblershoop en route to Upington.

The rationale behind the distribution of school

shoes to the learners was as part of our non-

motorized transportation initiatives to make sure

that these disadvantaged learners are able to walk

more comfortably to school.

Some of the learners, we found, never had a

pair of shoes in their short lives and taking into

account the cold winters in Siyanda, this was the

most appropriate service we could render to this

community.

All the funds for this project emanates from

the proceeds of the car-free day which the De-

partment launched in October, Transport Month,

last year.

42 learners benefited from this initiative and

an amount exceeding R5000-00 was spent on the

shoes, fruit and snack packs, to make this event

a success.

Other activities of the day included a hand-

painting exercise where the learners pledged

that their “hands will work against crime and

substance abuse”.


DATE PROGRAM VENUE DATE PROGRAM VENUE

03 October Launch of Transport Month Groblershoop 18 October Car Free day Upington Youth 4 Public Transport – Project

06 October Operation Kwanele/ Hlokomela N1 Colesburg 20 October Pre Investors’ Conference Summit Kimberley OLB Mobile Service

07 October Launch: Paddle Repair Calvinia 26 October Operation: Paddle Repair Kuruman

10 October Car Free Day Kimberley 28 October Launch: Modelling and Development De Aar of the De Aar Transport Hub

11 October Car Free Day Kuruman 29 October Transport Sector Sporting Event Kimberley

13 October Launch of subsidized Springbok 16-17 Nov Northern Cape Transport Kimberley Bus Services; Investors Conference Operation Kwanele N7 (Inter-provincial)

N7

VENUE

Groblershoop

N1 Colesburg

Calvinia

Kimberley

Kuruman

Springbok

N7

N7

VENUE

Upington

Kuruman

De Aar

Kimberley

Kimberley

Inspectorate function is to ensure that there is

concentration on the illegal operations in the

public transport sector, to make sure that there

is compliance with the provisions of the National

Land Transport Act and that the vehicles in

which our commuters travel, are safe and road-

worthy.

In taking a stance against illegal public trans-

port operations, the department sent 21 traffic

officers (including a Chief Provincial Inspector)

for training and awarded certificates to the 19

who passed the examinations.

TRANSPORT INSPECTORATE


The Transport Education and Training Authority,

in partnership with the Department of Transport,

Safety and Liaison and Department of Education

launched the first ever provincial career expo for

the transport sector.

This took place on 29 July 2011 in De Aar

in the Pixley ka Seme region, where 15 schools

were identified to be part of the expo.

The key objective of the career exhibitions is

to educate and create awareness amongst learn-

ers in especially rural areas on bursaries, learner-

ships and career opportunities in the Transport

Sector. Life Orientation Educators, Skills Develop-

ment Facilitators, Non-Governmental Organisa-

tions and Community Based Organisations

participated in the Capacity Building Workshops

in order to spread the message further and

provide guidance to learners on the careers in

the Transport sector. The main focus was on the

scare and critical skills in the Transport Sector.

The MEC for Transport, Safety and Liaison

officiated at the event. He advised the learners

Together taking transportTransport Month October 2011

to greater heights

to not forget the transport sector when choos-

ing a career. The MEC emphasised the natural

transport resources we have in the province,

such as the harbour at Port Nolloth and that

he wishes to see the learners take advantage of

these opportunities given them by going into

careers such as pilots.

Various exhibitors made presentations for the

learners, including: PRASA, TRANSNET, Traffic

and Transport, Water Affairs, Education, Agri-

culture, Land Reform and Rural Development,

Labour and the SANDF.

The Britstown Traffic station under the

leadership of Mr. Tshaliti and Mr. Cloete had a

beautiful stall.

This station together with the Pixley ka Seme

Regional office played an integral part of the

planning of the event.

The biggest sponsor of this event was PRASA

who assisted with 8 buses for the transportation

of learners from schools to the venue and back.

The Department of Transport has identified and committed October as Transport Month. This is an annual event in which provincial departments responsible for Transport, make use of the opportunity to show case the different

transport programs and projects in their respective Provinces and to highlight the importance of transport in society. The MEC for Transport, Safety and Liaison, Honourable Patrick Mabilo will be launching the Northern Cape 2011

October Transport Month on 03 October 2011, Groblershoop T – Junction (N8 & N10) at 11:00.

For enquiries please contact Ms. Tlotlo Modiakgotla at 053 839 1702

This sponsorship saw the drivers of the buses

driving distances exceeding 2500 in the two days.

We certainly would not have been able to

make a success of the event without this

contribution.

Transport Operations took part in two main

projects for Mandela Day.

The one project was the Ministerial project

which took place in Victoria West on 18 July

2011. The team was allocated a house belonging

to a disabled woman by the name of Anna. The

house needed to be painted and cleaned. The

team cleaned the house and used their money

to buy electricity. In addition, it was found that

Anna did not have an identity document and

they arranged for the Department of Home Af-

fairs to visit Anna and give assistance with the

application for an identity document.

The Directorate Transport Operations agreed

to adopt the house and to find innovative ways of

assisting Anna, for example to assist her with an

application for social grant, etc.

The other Mandela Day project was on the

23 July 2011 in Kalkwerf, 30 kilometres from

TRANSPORT CAREER EXPO

MANDELA DAY PROJECTS The Transport Inspectorate function was

launched by the MEC for Transport, Safety and

Liaison in April 2011.

As a country, South Africa undertook as part

of the Millenium Development Goals to reduce

the fatalities on our roads with 50% by 2014. We

are also aware that the United Nations and the

Department of Transport launched the Decade of

Action to make our roads safer.

The purpose of launching the Transport

“The MEC emphasised the natural transport resources we have in the province, such as the harbour at Port Nolloth and that he wishes to see the learners take advantage of these opportunities given them by going into careers such as pilots.”

Groblershoop en route to Upington.

The rationale behind the distribution of school

shoes to the learners was as part of our non-

motorized transportation initiatives to make sure

that these disadvantaged learners are able to walk

more comfortably to school.

Some of the learners, we found, never had a

pair of shoes in their short lives and taking into

account the cold winters in Siyanda, this was the

most appropriate service we could render to this

community.

All the funds for this project emanates from

the proceeds of the car-free day which the De-

partment launched in October, Transport Month,

last year.

42 learners benefited from this initiative and

an amount exceeding R5000-00 was spent on the

shoes, fruit and snack packs, to make this event

a success.

Other activities of the day included a hand-

painting exercise where the learners pledged

that their “hands will work against crime and

substance abuse”.


DATE PROGRAM VENUE DATE PROGRAM VENUE

03 October Launch of Transport Month Groblershoop 18 October Car Free day Upington Youth 4 Public Transport – Project

06 October Operation Kwanele/ Hlokomela N1 Colesburg 20 October Pre Investors’ Conference Summit Kimberley OLB Mobile Service

07 October Launch: Paddle Repair Calvinia 26 October Operation: Paddle Repair Kuruman

10 October Car Free Day Kimberley 28 October Launch: Modelling and Development De Aar of the De Aar Transport Hub

11 October Car Free Day Kuruman 29 October Transport Sector Sporting Event Kimberley

13 October Launch of subsidized Springbok 16-17 Nov Northern Cape Transport Kimberley Bus Services; Investors Conference Operation Kwanele N7 (Inter-provincial)

N7

VENUE

Groblershoop

N1 Colesburg

Calvinia

Kimberley

Kuruman

Springbok

N7

N7

VENUE

Upington

Kuruman

De Aar

Kimberley

Kimberley

Inspectorate function is to ensure that there is

concentration on the illegal operations in the

public transport sector, to make sure that there

is compliance with the provisions of the National

Land Transport Act and that the vehicles in

which our commuters travel, are safe and road-

worthy.

In taking a stance against illegal public trans-

port operations, the department sent 21 traffic

officers (including a Chief Provincial Inspector)

for training and awarded certificates to the 19

who passed the examinations.

TRANSPORT INSPECTORATE


PHOTO ESSAy

PICS: GAIL JENNINGS,

PHOTOGRAPHED IN NAMIBIA

From dust to dust

Post-21st century vehicles will be sleek, fuel-efficient, functional machines that serve niche mobility needs. The curvilinear, anthropomorphic vehicles of the past, on the other hand, have multiple second incarnations.



At the Roadhouse Lodge, Fish River Canyon, and Solitaire, gracious vehicles from the 1950s – created before we knew of peak oil and climate, and considered air and urban quality – serve as garden decoration hearths, reception desks, signage and restaurant dividers. We wonder where the vehicles of today will be in 50 years’ time.

GO

ND

WAN

A CO

NCE

SSIO

NS


GO

ND

WAN

A CO

NCE

SSIO

NS


WOrLD VIEW

As a motoring journalist, i live and breathe cars. i spend my days evaluating the way they look, the way they drive, how fast they go and how they manoeuvre,

whether it be in congested city traffic where you need to be able to dodge taxis and pedestrians with ease, or on a glorious, twisty mountain pass where you can just enjoy the car’s performance. For a motoring fanatic, south Africa is probably as close as you’ll get to motoring heaven, not only because of our magnificent and scenic roads, but also because motoring is a big Thing down here at the tip of Africa.

Locally, almost 50 different manufacturers and importers make up the supply side of the passenger car market alone, representing a choice of more than 250 different model ranges across the price spectrum, with a monthly increase of between two and six new model ranges. These launches are important for manufacturers and motoring journalists alike, especially when a brand new version of an existing model is launched, but even more so if the model in question is already popular.

Thanks to South Africa’s biggest automobile manufacturer launching the third-generation model of a car that is immensely popular locally, I recently had the privilege of travelling to Copenhagen, Denmark, for

the car’s world launch. It was a whirlwind visit and a very impressive new car, but also an unexpected eye-opener for a car-focused commuter because, in Copenhagen, you don’t actually need a car.

With its pedestrian-friendly streets and impeccable public transport systems, which range from luxury German saloon taxis to air-conditioned passenger buses and clean, punctual trains, it’s ridiculously easy to get from one point to the next in Copenhagen. Add to that its myriad of small, narrow streets that criss-cross in an unfathomable pattern, thousands of over-confident cyclists and merciless bus drivers who would be perfectly at ease piloting a minibus taxi in South African rush hour, and the realisation of how unnecessary a car is becomes clearer.

Using the Metro is probably the easiest way to get around in Copenhagen, although the trains and buses are equally efficient, I was told. From my hotel at the airport, dinner and sightseeing in the city centre was a mere 12-minute ride and 36 Danish Krone (approximately R50) away – significantly cheaper than a ride on the Gautrain from Sandton to O.R. Tambo International Airport, for example.

Copenhagen is divided into zones. you can purchase your Metro tickets according to the zones in which you will travel, which will also affect the cost. If, for example,

Coping without carsThere’re times when changing the way we think is a frightening experience. Not so for motoring journalist ChRISTO VALENTyN, who found himself, without a car, in Copenhagen.


you’re travelling through three zones, you will pay according to the most expensive zone (a three-zone multi-ride ticket with ten rides will cost you DKK180). What’s even better is that public transport is completely integrated, meaning you can use the same ticket for the train and the bus, depending on your destination and requirements.

Wandering through the city on a Sunday afternoon, I saw more bicycles than people – against shop windows, in bicycle racks, next to bus stops, everywhere. Where flashy and expensive cars would surround a South African square, the larger squares in Copenhagen feature rows and rows of bicycles. What also stood out immediately was how few of these bicycles were chained to the stands – something that would be completely unheard of in South Africa! The next day, while driving through the countryside, I again noticed how people simply left their bicycles propped up against the bus stops. you can even take your bicycle on the Metro, although you would need to purchase a bike ticket.

Driving a car in the city is an ordeal for a typical South African driver. Just about every major street has a separate bicycle lane and you, as motorist, have to give way to cyclists and pedestrians by law. Driving on the right-hand side of the road didn’t faze me too much, but I had to stop my feet from doing what they instinctively do every time a traffic light turned green – cyclists first, is the golden rule, regardless of how many times the traffic light might turn red and green. While I was regularly quite nervous on their behalf, I was impressed with the confidence with which these cyclists went

about – not once did I see a head turn to see whether the car alongside would allow it to go first.

yet despite the aforementioned factors, Copenhagen was an excellent choice for launching this specific car, as it’s in a city such as this, where motorists like myself perpetually feel as if they’re in the way, that a city car comes into its own. With time I am sure I would have been more comfortable with driving in such a city, but that is a sad indictment of the carelessness and inconsiderateness with which we as a nation use our roads.

Leaving aside the major infrastructure changes – our cities need not only to have integrated public transport systems, but also dedicated pedestrian and cycles lanes that can be used without fear of imminent

death or morbid injury – South Africa has a long way to go. There will forever be a place in this world and country for cars, thankfully, but South African motorists will require a gigantic paradigm shift with regards to road usage to make it truly world class. I am not convinced that we’re ready. v

CHRISTO VALENTyN IS A FREELANCE JOURNALIST AND THE EDITOR OF

DIESELDRIVE (WWW.DIESELDRIVEMAG.CO.ZA). HE IS A MEMBER OF THE

SOUTH AFRICAN GUILD OF MOTORING JOURNALISTS AND SERVES ON

ITS NATIONAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE.

Where flashy and expensive cars would surround a South African square, the larger squares in Copenhagen feature rows and rows of bicycles.


WOrLD VIEW

PICS By DAVID DAVIES (FLICKR),

S:C:M:PHOTO (FLICKR), KIMON DE

GREEF, WESSEL OOSTHUIZEN

Our taxi arrived early, so we hadn’t finished packing.

‘It isn’t four o’ clock yet!’ I shouted. ‘They said they were coming at four!’

The driver hooted again.‘I’ll go out so long,’ my girlfriend said. ‘you follow me

with that bag.’We woke the woman sleeping behind the counter

and paid for our room. An agitated man stood at the door. ‘you must hurry. We have to leave,’ he told us. Then he lifted one of our backpacks and carried it outside.

The sky was still black. The minibus was parked with its engine running and three men inside. It looked like

we were the first passengers, because there was no luggage anywhere. Two of the men helped us squeeze our belongings under the back seats.

‘It’s so nice that they came to pick us up,’ I remarked. The day before, in the afternoon heat, we’d wandered around the taxi rank asking how to get to Cuamba, in the middle of northern Mozambique.

‘Tell me where you are staying tonight,’ the driver had said, ‘and I will come at four tomorrow morning.’

We spent the next two hours driving around the town, stopping arbitrarily. Sometimes people climbed on board. There was a lot of revving and reversing, and at one stage the driver jumped out and spent 20

Can we get there from here? Travelling by public transport through East Africa taught KIMON DE GREEF one thing – that people will endure terrible discomfort getting places if that’s their only option ... but that most of the time, people get to where they are going.


minutes shuffling luggage around and strapping it onto the roof.

Eventually the taxi was full – the way it works, it seems, is that the drivers zoom around the suburbs competing for passengers – and we returned to the transport stand, just one block away from the cheap pensão where we’d spent the night (and where the whole ride started). A few more people squeezed in. The taxi was bursting at the seams and we were pushed right up against the windows and the backs of our seats.

At last it was time to leave.The journey took ten hours, over a dirt road so rutted

that our heads frequently bounced against the roof. A tyre burst, the driver changed it, and then a few hours later another tyre burst, so we sat on the side of the road until somebody stopped to help us. It was a dreadful ride, but nobody complained or lost their cool. Our fellow passengers just hunkered down and stared out the window. We followed their lead and did the same.

Travelling by public transport through East Africa taught me one thing: that people will endure terrible discomfort to get somewhere if that is their only option. From jam-packed dhalla-dhalla buses in Dar es Salaam, with well-dressed ladies pressed right up against each other’s armpits, to the grand Ilala ferry on Lake Malawi – where I was told, before disembarking,

OPPOSITE and RIGHT: Downtown Dar Es Salaam.

BELOW: Ferry from Nyamisati to Kilindone, Mafia Island, Tanzania.


that ‘if you don’t push very hard you’ll never get off’ – there was never a word of complaint, a sharp outburst or even a feeling of indignation. And I kept thinking: if you take the choice away, people will adapt. I wondered if this was true of everybody, everywhere, or if it was just a question of poverty.

Another thing that stood out was how fragmented and unplanned public transport was. There were no integrated timetables and there was hardly any cooperation. An early mistake we made was to trust the touts who marauded about at the transport stands – ‘Here! My friend! This bus is leaving now!’ – only to wait a long hour as more and more passengers trickled on board. I remember watching rival gaatjies (a South African word, I know, but I can’t think of an adequate translation) in Malawi, pulling on people’s sleeves, trying to coax them on board ... all the while laughing, insulting one another and shadow-boxing, as the drivers hooted and revved their engines.

I marvelled at it all. It seemed such a waste of everybody’s time and energy. But how could it ever be improved? The system felt completely entrenched. And, at the end of the day, people (us included) got to where they were going. Maybe it’s just a question of adjusting one’s standards.

We returned to South Africa from Maputo on a Greyhound bus. The seats were comfortable and widely spaced. Nobody was squatting in the aisles. We stopped for food at a Shell garage and people queued to buy hamburgers. I remember sitting next to the road watching cars go by – the grass was neatly clipped and damp from the morning’s sprinklers.

‘There are no hand-painted signs,’ I said. ‘All these shops are franchises.’

It felt strange not seeing any street vendors. There was no litter on the streets. All the cars looked new. And nobody was walking.

We tried to catch a taxi in Johannesburg the next day. It was a flawless autumn morning, and we stood beside a busy road, waiting in vain for a ride. About ten brand-new minibuses drove by each minute, but none of them stopped.

‘What’s wrong with these guys?’ I complained, after another driver ignored my wave. ‘Why won’t they pull over?

‘Maybe they aren’t allowed to,’ my girlfriend offered. ‘They might get a fine.’

‘Ja, but ...’ I answered, and then I caught myself. I was about to say, ‘It just seems so inefficient.’ v


ADVERTISING FEATURE

tHE CITy oF TSHWANE has registered significant progress in planning its own effective, rapid, safe and affordable bus rapid transit service. The planning of the bus rapid

transit service is done parallel to the development of a fully fledged integrated rapid public transport network. The envisaged integrated rapid public transport network would have rail and the bus rapid transit service as core pillars. other elements of the integrated rapid public transport network would include other modes of transport such as cycling and walking. At the centre of the network being developed would be integration of all the modes of transport within the City of Tshwane.

Through the integrated public transport network, the City of Tshwane aims to achieve the following:

That 85 percent of residents live within •1 kilometre of the public transport networkThat safe and secure public transport •operations are introduced and monitored by a control centre That integrated feeder services including •walking, cycling and taxi operations are introduced and better managed That an integrated electronic fare system is •introduced in order to manage transfers from one mode to another

•The City of Tshwane’s integrated rapid public transport network would put an emphasis on prioritising ‘public transport, walking and cycling

over private car travel’. A team of professionals has been established in order to develop the integrated rapid public transport network and the bus rapid transit service as a key component of the envisaged network. Key to the development of the integrated rapid public transport network and the bus rapid transit service is the engagement of key stakeholders including bus operators, taxi industry and the existing Tshwane Bus Service. The aim of the engagement of stakeholders is to ensure maximum participation by all those who are going to be affected by the introduction of the integrated rapid public transport network and the bus rapid transit service. The City of Tshwane is working towards building on the positive outcomes of the first ever Bela Bela Stakeholders Summit held at the beginning of 2010 about the planning of the bus rapid transit service. There is a commitment to engage meaningfully with the key stakeholders. Critical to the planning of the integrated rapid public transport network and the bus rapid transit service is the development of its distinct identity and image. Residents have participated in identifying possible names for the bus rapid transit service which will be presented to the Mayoral Committee for approval. The launch of a distinct corporate identity for the bus rapid transit service is expected to be done in due course.

For more information contact Mr Joel Mushwana, Executive Director: IRPTN Specialised Unit at 012-358 2244 or at [email protected]

citY of tshwAne is on trAck in plAnning An AfforDABAle, rApiD, sAfe

AnD coMfortABle Bus rApiD trAnsit serVice 22 septeMBer 2011


&

Reso

urce

s …

By G

AIL

JEN

NIN

GS

moving to a low-carbon future

INSERTED INTO THIS EDITION of MOBILITy is a guide to low-carbon transport, intended to inform debate within the South African transport sector on the impact of transport on climate change and the potential for low-carbon and sustainable transport to mitigate climate change effects. The document has been prepared with financial assistance from the South African Sustainable Transport Project, an initiative of the South African Department of Transport, with grant funding from the Global Environment Facility and implementation assistance from the United Nations Development Programme.

If your copy of the guide is no longer inside your magazine, please visit www.mobilitymagazine.co.za to download a copy, or contact the South African Sustainable Transport Project:Lusanda Madikizela: Director, Programme Management, South African Department of Transport [email protected]; or David Ingham: Project Coordinator, DOT / UNDP-GEF Sustainable Transport Project, [email protected]

WebsitesOfficial UN Website •http://unfccc.int/2860.php

Host country Website •http://www.cop17-cmp7durban.com/

Civil Society Committee •http://www.c17.org.za/

Bridging the Gap – sustainable transport •http://www.transport2012.org/ transport-climate-change-news/

University of Cambridge Programme for •Sustainability Leadership http://www.cpsl.cam.ac.uk/

Institute for Transportation & Development Policy •http://www.itdp.org/

Partnership on Sustainable Low Carbon Transport •http://www.slocat.net

National Business Institute •http://www.nbi.org.za/

WWF •http://www.wwf.org.za/

South African National Climate Change Response •http://www.climateresponse.co.za/

BlogsCivil Society Blog: http://cop17insouthafrica.wordpress.com/

Twitter @Mobilitymag

@ClimateCLG

@ITDP_HQ

@WWFSouthAfrica

@NBISA

@icologie

COP17/CMP7 is the 17th edition of Conference of the Parties of the United nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP) and the 7th Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP). ‘Parties’ refers to all the national states that signed and ratified both of the international treaties, committing to observe and comply with its terms regarding international

cooperation against climate change. The United nations Framework Convention on Climate Change has been signed by 194 state Parties and the Kyoto Protocol has been ratified by 184 state Parties.

This year, the Conference will take place in Durban, South Africa between 28th November and 9th December. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is composed of two general categories of participants:

The State Parties and the observers. The observers are divided into Inter-governmental Organisations and Non-governmental Organisations who must register and accredit themselves before the Convention’s Secretariat in order to participate in the Conferences. Only the representatives of the registered organisations will be allowed to assist and attend the sessions of the different bodies of the Convention, as observers.

Although members of the public cannot take part in the formal discussions, there are many other events taking place in other venues during the period of COP17.

To find out more, visit the websites below, or follow the links on Twitter or Facebook.

mobility August/October 2011 67

vehicle-testing centresNEWS HEADLINES were made when Western Cape Transport MEC Robin Carlisle went to a vehicle-testing centre in George to confront the owner and shut the facility down. This was after the centre had allegedly given a roadworthy certificate to a bus that was subsequently involved in a deadly accident that killed 14 children.

This helped throw a spotlight on the South African vehicle-testing setup, which is privatised and largely unregulated. After the accident there was much discussion on talk radio stations, with a surprising number of members of the public saying they, or family members and friends, had slipped staff at these centres a few hundred rand in return for overlooking defects.

But these defects make a vehicle a potential death trap, not only for the occupants but also for other road users, including pedestrians.

This shocking situation was highlighted in a radio interview with the Automobile Association’s Gary Ronald, who said that as many as 80% of vehicle-testing centres could have some type of corrupt activities going on, with or without the knowledge of the owners and managers.

Even more alarmingly, he said that the state’s ability to inspect and regulate such facilities had been badly eroded, so that the private sector was operating almost entirely on a self-regulating basis.

All vehicle-testing stations need to be registered and graded before they can issue valid roadworthiness certificates, and they have to comply with laid-down standards for technical competence and a code of practice. But once they have opened they are hard to police.

While there is an industry body that represents vehicle-testing centres – the National Vehicle Testing Association – membership is voluntary and, as with many such associations, the really bad apples simply do not join.

What is the answer? Surely not a return to the days of the long queues and inconvenience of having to take your vehicle to a municipal testing centre? Nor to maintain the status quo, where cash-strapped South Africans pay bribes to get roadworthy certificates for unsafe vehicles – either to use themselves or, even worse, to sell on to unsuspecting buyers?

IT’S NOT SURPRISING that people jaywalk at many intersections, when the ‘green man’ that gives pedestrians the right of way over left-turning vehicles flashes so briefly. There’s no time for someone to get safely across the road before vehicles starting moving when the red flashing signal begins. Where there are wide roads and large numbers of pedestrians waiting to cross, the situation becomes scary in the extreme. And, more often than not, the worst intersections are those leading to major public transport destinations, such as outside Cape Town station in Strand Street, where buses and taxis pose an additional threat.

When will pedestrians get priority, with all vehicles remaining stationary for long enough to allow safe passage for those on foot?

short green menw

Wha

t’s

not

wor

king

…


my COmmUTE

PIC: SHARIVAN MOODLEy

When i moved to Observatory in Cape Town five months ago – from Durban – i found that moving around at any time of the day was easy, and there

seemed to be a variety of public transport. but that was before i moved to the far end of the southern suburbs. in terms of distance, my new home wasn’t that far from central Cape Town, but in terms of access it could have been another city entirely.

Moving into my new place wasn’t that much of a hassle. I simply grabbed a cab, threw my luggage in the back seat and within minutes I was there. I assumed that it would be just as easy to get to central Cape Town, particularly as when I had first viewed the house my landlord had told me it had ‘easy access to town.’

So I woke up an hour in advance as usual and was out of the house 30 minutes before I was due for work. That was a rude awakening for me, and certainly redefined the concept of ‘easy access’. With the wind and rain slapping at me and swaying me sideways, I froze under the bus shelter for over 20 minutes with no sign of life on the road. Cars, vans, school buses and ‘private’ minibus taxis taking children to school or staff to work came along in their numbers, but no sign of public transport.

I stood there panicking, digging through my bag hoping to find a business card for one of the metered taxi companies I had used. Failing, I decided to walk to the nearest minibus taxi rank instead. But once I realised that the rank was quite some distance away, I gave up.

Then I saw what resembled a bus – it was in a rather dilapidated one. Hopeless and wet, I shot up my hand, hopped in and sank onto the pale blue, half-steel, half leather seat. After 30 minutes in heavy traffic, I made it to the bus station in Claremont and then had to find another mode of public transport to town.

By then I was already late for work. Frantically, I looked for a sign saying ‘train station’. Nothing. Or a taxi rank sign, saying ‘to town’. Nothing. Then I decided to take my search to the Claremont main road, where I managed to get a mini-bus taxi to town.

I made it through the weeks that followed with my fists clenched and teeth gritted. The Cape Town rail station, at least, is clearly marked and finding it was a breeze. Then I had to decide what coach I wanted to

take and whether I wanted a weekly or monthly ticket.Then there was the confusion about where to jump

off, because yes all the train stations look the same to me. At first I had to ask all the time and remind the couple next to me, at every stop, to let me know when I’ve reached my destination. Now I have adopted a method of counting the train stops from one to seven and at the seventh stop I jump off, feeling proud of myself.

My public transport assessment? Both taxi and bus are out of the question. They take too long and make too many stops. For now I choose the train. you may have to stand on top of someone’s foot, and put up with being slapped by a bag or two or three, but you are more likely to be on time using the train than the other modes. Sadly, rapid transit hasn’t arrived in my part of town yet, and until then I’ll just have to make do with hop on-hop off and count the stops from one to seven. v

how to get from SOmeWheRe to nOWheReDespite its claims of ‘world-class’ infrastructure and facilities, Cape Town, like all South African cities, still falls short when it comes to a networked system of public transport, as ThOLAKELE NENE discovered.

With the wind and rain slapping at me and swaying me sideways, I froze under the bus shelter for over 20 minutes with no sign of life on the road.


“The amount of engineering behind a tanker is quite comprehensive because of the unique applications for which they’re used,” says Anton du Plessis, national sales and distribution man-ager at Isuzu Trucks. “For example, you can’t just store water; the tank on the back must first be specially prepared and chemically treated so that the water is drinkable. By extension, if a tanker is going to be used for transporting grey water, costs can be cut by bypassing the treat-ment process.”

Isuzu advises that customers consider several key factors before submitting an order for new trucks. The first is whether the vehicles contracted will be single- or multi-purpose. For example, the basic component of a water tanker is a flat-bed truck body. Based on the carrying requirement, the capacity of the tanker needs to be calculated along with the weight of the water it will contain, so that a truck’s permissible payload is not exceeded.

The FSR 800 Water Tanker is a 7 000 litre unit, although larger tankers have a capacity of up to 12 500 litres. Smaller-capacity vehicles are also available to serve the needs of local authorities with lesser requirements.

Isuzu has put much thought into the multi-purpose design of the FSR 800, allowing it to be used in a wide variety of applications.

The manufacturer says it can be compared to a set of lego blocks, with components being added, modified or taken away, according to the application.

Sizes can also be adjusted according to each municipality’s specific requirements, although this customisation must be indicated on the RT57 tender documents before production starts.

Since water is such a scarce commodity in South Africa, vehicles like the FSR 800 Water Tanker are becoming increasingly popular as a solution for providing relief in drought-stricken areas, watering municipal parks or gardens, and providing grey water for use in large road and infrastructure construction projects.

FSR 800 Water Tanker

In the coming months, Isuzu predicts the need for water tankers will increase as municipalities strive to supply water to rural communities

and agricultural areas affected by low rainfall.

In the coming months, Isuzu predicts the need for water tankers will increase as municipalities strive to supply water to rural communities and agricultural areas affected by low rainfall. With changing weather patterns, drought conditions result in a huge demand for tankers to supply water for both drinking and irrigation purposes, says Du Plessis.


We shape a better world

www.arup.com

We believe that sustainable transportis key to building a better future.

Independent Certifier for the Gautrain Rapid Rail Link

Johannesburg+27 (0)11 218 [email protected]

Port Elizabeth+27 (0)41 584 [email protected]

Cape Town+27 (0)21 421 [email protected]

Durban+27 (0)31 328 [email protected]

Polokwane+27 (0)15 291 [email protected]

East London+27 (0)43 726 [email protected]

�0

�5

�2�5

�7�5

�9�5

�1�0�0

�0

�5

�2�5

�7�5

�9�5

�1�0�0

�0

�5

�2�5

�7�5

�9�5

�1�0�0

�0

�5

�2�5

�7�5

�9�5

�1�0�0

Mobility Magazine

Documents

low carbon transport

transport system

transport culture

sustainable transport

transport advocacy groups

role south africa plays

south africas role

mobility augustoctober