Cape Town - Public Transport

[Mo Rush]

City to drive move from cars to public transport


By Melanie Gosling

REDUCING the number of cars on the city's roads is probably the most significant step Capetonians can take to cut our high carbon emissions which per capita are 50% higher than the international norm, says Cape Town Mayor Helen Zille.

Addressing the annual meeting of the International Association of Impact Assessment, Zille said the city was committed to ensuring "a massive improvement in public transport" before 2010. The city and province had secured R6 billion to achieve this.

Cape Town could expect a more competitive, safer, faster and more modern public transport system, which included the introduction of a rapid bus transport system.

"We want to attract more car users to public transport by offering a better product," Zille said.

Although South Africa's signing of the Kyoto Protocol has not committed it to reducing carbon emissions now, the country may be obliged to do so after 2012 with the implementation of the next phase of the protocol.

The average car in Cape Town emits about 4.5 tons of carbon a year. Vehicle emissions also affected human health. Last year the city's air pollution levels were higher than internationally accepted standards for 150 days.

"This means for nearly half of 2006 the people of this city were breathing in smoke and gases that are harmful to their health," Zille said.

She said the world was slowly waking up to the fact that current use of natural resources was unsustainable and posed a threat to the wellbeing of humanity.

"We do not need to spend time talking of the nature of the challenge. What we need to talk about is what we are going to do. If we do not manage our environment effectively, our economy suffers," Zille said.

Internationally it was cities and state governments, not national governments, that were taking responsibility for driving the sustainability agenda.

But Cape Town was not a leader in sustainability. It needed to be bolder and to "think bigger".

Issues that needed to be resolved were to reconcile the need for stringent environmental laws with the need for rapid housing development; to reduce energy demand by 30% while encouraging investment; to reduce water demand; to protect biodiversity and to grow the green economy so that the city could develop a competitive edge globally in selling green services and products.

"I want, by the end of the year, to come together as city government, as business, as NGOs, community groups, as universities, to agree to a set of bold environmental steps that we all commit to," Zille said.

Published on the web by Cape Times on July 25, 2007. © Cape Times 2007. All rights reserved.

[Mo Rush]

Cameras in place for launch of minibus lane


By Staff Writer

THE dedicated bus and minibus taxi lane on the N2, which is to be electronically monitored to prevent private vehicles from using it, is to be launched on Wednesday.

The pilot project is an initiative of the Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works and the City of Cape Town.

It is to be used exclusively by buses and taxis between 5.30am and 9am on the in-bound freeway only.

The lane would be monitored through a number plate recognition system linked to a central observation control room, said Protoclea Advanced Image Engineering, supplier of the cameras and other equipment.

This follows completion of the first phase of the N2 upgrade. The freeway is being rehabilitated in preparation for the 2010 World Cup.

The company's managing director, Bennie Coetzer, said 18 cameras were in place to cover the N2 from Borcherd's Quarry Road to the M5 on the city-bound section of the highway.

"Our technology reads and records the number plates of any vehicles not supposed to be in the lane between 5.30am and 9am, compares them against the provincial registration database and flags them for collation into a list. The numbers are passed on to a police officer who verifies an offence has been committed and approves the issuing of postal fines."

Published on the web by Cape Times on July 27, 2007. © Cape Times 2007. All rights reserved.

[Mo Rush]

Public transport interchange opens

By Celeste Ganga
28 July 2007

As from Monday, 30 July 2007, mini-bus taxis will start to operate from the newly constructed Public Transport Interchange,opposite Claremont Railway station.

“All minibus-taxi commuters in the vicinity are advised that they must board and alight at this taxi rank,” says Director of Roads and Storm Water, Henry Du Plessis.

Golden Arrow bus commuters will be able to board buses to Mitchells Plain in Roscommon Road and commuters to Khayeitsha will be able to board in Hawthorne Road. All other destinations are clearly marked.


Du Plessis adds, “Clearly identified signage will be placed around the construction sites to facilitate movements.”

The City of Cape Town apologises for the inconvenience.

[Mo Rush]

Taxi and bus lanes to be monitored

By Anele Siwa
28 July 2007

The Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works, together with the City of Cape Town have initiated the pilot project on the N2, this project will be launched next week Wednesday.

“A dedicated bus and minibus taxis lane on the N2 will be launched by the City of Cape and the Western Cape Department of Transport”, says the City spokesperson Robert Macdonald.

Macdonald added,“We started it up because we want to speed up our public transport so that people can get to work in time and we want to encourage more people to use public transport.”

According to Macdonald the lane will be monitored through a number of electric systems using cameras which will identify any vehicle other than buses and taxes.

[Mo Rush]

Transport MEC announces opening date for the N2 BMT lane

By Rhodé Marshall
01 August 2007

On Tuesday August 7th, the long awaited bus and minibus taxi (BMT) lane will be opened.

Thousands of early morning commuters, who travel to work along the N2 between Botcherds Quarry and the M5, will be pleased to know that they will arrive at work at least 29 minutes earlier.

“Our research indicates although those using the public transport will arrive earlier, those with private vehicles will spend an additional 11 minutes on the road,” says the MEC for Transport Marius Fransman.

He added that the new lane forms part of a broader plan by the Western Cape Transport Department and the City of Cape Town to encourage commuters to make use of public transport.

“We have pumped R300-million into this project therefore the security on the road is of high importance to us,” says Fransman.

He says that cable theft is rife in the area and this has encouraged the department to do whatever is necessary to ensure that a comprehensive security plan is implemented.

“In peak hours there are about 17 500 commuters on the N2, so this lane should ensure smooth traffic on a road that has always been highly congested,” says Spokesperson of the Ministry of Transport and Public Works, Dougie Oakes.

The road will operate in the mornings between 5:30am and 9:00am and only public transport vehicles will be considered to travel there legally. However, all other vehicles may use the road outside the allocated peak period.

“The driver of any other vehicle caught on the BMT lane will be fined R500, and a number of high technology cameras has been set up to monitor this,” says Oaks.

[Pule]

Jazzed-up retail zone planned for Cape Town
August 2, 2007

By Tom Robbins

Cape Town - Business and the government are investigating a major redevelopment of the run-down Cape Town Station precinct in a bid to meet growing demand for retail and office space in the central business district (CBD).

Already, the Cape Town inner city turnaround has attracted residential developments and restaurants targeted at young professionals, but they frequently prefer the up-scale shops in nearby suburbs such as Gardens.

Central City Improvement District chairman Theodore Yach said yesterday that over the past two to three years, at least 5 000 mostly higher-income residents had moved to the CBD and immediate surroundings to give a total of at least 65 000. This trend was set to continue.

Retailer Woolworths said this week that together with Old Mutual Properties, it was "investigating" redeveloping two low-rise Adderley Street Properties.

The current Woolworths clothing store includes a food section in the basement. This hardly offers convenience and longer trading hours for the target market, who live in nearby studio apartments.

While Woolworths and Old Mutual were reluctant to provide details of plans for the zone, Yach said that over the next three to five years, "a totally different retail environment will be rolled out".



Louis Karol, the chief executive of Louis Karol Architects, said there had been inquiries on the development of two R1 billion CBD skyscrapers, but he did not give details. His firm designed the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront.

The last high-rise built in the city was Safmarine House in 1993.

Despite the regeneration of the city, the Cape Town station has remained a hot bed for crime. The SA Rail Commuter Corporation intends to spend R100 million upgrading the station and is already improving security.

According to Woolworths, other players, including Growthpoint, which owns Golden Acre shopping centre, and Sun International, the owner of the Cape Sun hotel, were considering similar upgrades.

Andre Stadler, the managing director of Catalyst Fund Managers, said it was a natural extension to add retail and office space to existing residential apartments, as it was a global trend "to live, work and play in the same place".

But Stadler said outlying areas such as the Century City node also offered this lifestyle and those with young children might be reluctant to live in the inner city.

At present, much of the CBD's retail serves a lower segment rail commuter market through stores such as Shoprite and OK Furniture.

[Mo Rush]

N2 bus and taxi lane begins today monitored by cameras and fines of R500 for private vehicles who enter the lane before 9:30am

[SA BOY]

"The last high-rise built in the city was Safmarine House in 1993. "

err what about the CTICC Sheraton hotel at 20F? and also met life in 1993

"Louis Karol, the chief executive of Louis Karol Architects, said there had been inquiries on the development of two R1 billion CBD skyscrapers, but he did not give details"

You think these are the ones on Aderly St?

[Caisson Boy]

Yeah, I know. And what about Mandela Rhodes 22fl 2006, and Icon 19fl 2007? And yes, I think Louis Karol is talking about the two Adderley Street towers, after they've demolished Woolies and Old Mutual.

[Mo Rush]

so many people talking about the new bus lane not working.
it def is working, driving to UCT looking at the N2 it was quite a sight to see the busses whiz pass the private vehicles, its def not flawless, its just the first phase.

to those who fail to follow the rules..good luck with the R500 fines.

[Mo Rush]

8 fined for driving in dedicated bus lane Jade Witten 08 August, 2007 Cape Argus

The heavy arm of the law came down this morning as the city began issuing R500 fines to motorists who insisted on using the new dedicated lane on the N2. [ Full Story... ]

[^Anton^]

It's great news that it is already working (and that the police is making sure it's only being used by buses). I've seen those lanes working in Madrid, and it's cool to see how buses run smoothly along the bus lane while hundreds of cars are left behind because of heavier traffic, or even traffic jams, hehe.

[Mo Rush]

Well it already has a rail line that sort of straddles the border of century city, so it would make sense to use that.

__________________________________________________________________

New rail link in pipe-line for Century City Siphokazi Maposa 09 August, 2007 Cape Argus

Cape Town's fastest growing property development complex, Century City, could have a rail service with a brand-new station, ahead of the 2010 World Cup, to attract more public transport users to the facility.

[Mo Rush]

'More lanes for public transport needed to ease peak traffic flow'


By Babalo Ndenze

THE dedicated public transport lane on the N2 may be replicated in the Table View/ Parklands area where peak traffic is also congested, a senior city official said yesterday.

Motorists using Marine Drive from Parklands, Table View and Milnerton are sometimes stuck in traffic jams for more than an hour to and from work in the city every day.

The city's director for transport, Maddie Mazaza, said the traffic problems plaguing the area needed "urgent" intervention.

"It's not exactly what's happening on the N2. We have a city-wide framework. There are existing ones (lanes) that needed enforcement, but in other parts of the city it will take a different form. It might not be a dedicated public transport lane.

Options of a dedicated public transport lane might be separate due to environmental requirements. In the short to medium term we will be promoting a dedicated right of way for public transport but our investigations need to confirm exactly what is needed," said Mazaza.

She said feasibility studies by the city would show them how many vehicles and commuters used the road.

"We are looking at the northern corridor and places like Parklands where peak- hour traffic is a problem. It needs urgent attention between now and 2010," said Mazaza.

By yesterday morning eight motorists on the N2 had each been fined R500.

The dedicated lane has an 18-camera surveillance system that will be used to monitor the 11km route which runs from Borcherds Quarry to the M5.

The new rules bar private vehicles from the right lane between 5.30am and 9am.

"There's a slight difference between the N2 and the northern corridor. We've been investigating rail for some time now and we're comparing costs of investments in rail. We will unveil our plan very soon," Mazaza said.

Meanwhile, Golden Arrow general manager Francois Meyer suggested in an interview on Cape Talk yesterday that the existing bus lanes around the city be enforced, such as on Main Road from the city centre to Retreat, currently used for parking instead.

"There are also lanes in Modderdam Road, Klipfontein Road and Vanguard Drive. They're all over the place but they're not policed in the same manner as the BMT (bus and minibus taxi). But this (BMT) is a start and it would make sense if that would be rolled out," said Golden Arrow spokesperson Vuyisile Mdoda.

Published on the web by Cape Times on August 8, 2007. © Cape Times 2007. All rights reserved.

[Mo Rush]

New rail link in pipe-line for Century City

By Siphokazi Maposa

Cape Town's fastest growing property development complex, Century City, could have a rail service with a brand new station, ahead of the 2010 World Cup, to attract more public transport users to the facility.

The R30-million project will also see other road networks in the area being upgraded to make it more accessible to commuting, said Eddie Chinnappen, the city's executive director for transport, roads and stormwater.

Century City, which boasts a large shopping mall, Canal Walk, up-market residential apartments and office space, has seen enormous growth over the past few years, attracting large volumes of people. The only drawback has been the use of public transport, with only 2 percent of shoppers using it to get to the complex.

Just over one kilometre from Century City, the Windemere Station development will be situated between Acacia Park and Kentemade stations on the Monte Vista line.

A footbridge will also be built to link the station and Canal Walk, which attracts about 20 million visitors a year.

Century City spokesperson Maggie Rowley said out of the 20 000 office workers that work there weekdays, only 7 000 used public transport. About 98 percent of shoppers use private transport.

"We are hoping the building of the station will help address public transport needs. The planning is well under way and we are hoping to have the project completed before 2010," she said.

Building is set to begin after the signing of an agreement between the developers and the SA Rail Commuter Corporation. The project, which will see Century City footing the bill, is part of the city's integrated transport plan that encourages developers to provide public transport plans for new developments.

Chinnappen said the city was dealing with the planning side of the project and was looking at support road projects such as extensions to Acre and Frans Conradie roads.

[Pule]

Originally Posted by Mo Rush

New rail link in pipe-line for Century City

By Siphokazi Maposa

Cape Town's fastest growing property development complex, Century City, could have a rail service with a brand new station, ahead of the 2010 World Cup, to attract more public transport users to the facility.

The R30-million project will also see other road networks in the area being upgraded to make it more accessible to commuting, said Eddie Chinnappen, the city's executive director for transport, roads and stormwater.

Century City, which boasts a large shopping mall, Canal Walk, up-market residential apartments and office space, has seen enormous growth over the past few years, attracting large volumes of people. The only drawback has been the use of public transport, with only 2 percent of shoppers using it to get to the complex.

Just over one kilometre from Century City, the Windemere Station development will be situated between Acacia Park and Kentemade stations on the Monte Vista line.

A footbridge will also be built to link the station and Canal Walk, which attracts about 20 million visitors a year.

Century City spokesperson Maggie Rowley said out of the 20 000 office workers that work there weekdays, only 7 000 used public transport. About 98 percent of shoppers use private transport.

"We are hoping the building of the station will help address public transport needs. The planning is well under way and we are hoping to have the project completed before 2010," she said.

Building is set to begin after the signing of an agreement between the developers and the SA Rail Commuter Corporation. The project, which will see Century City footing the bill, is part of the city's integrated transport plan that encourages developers to provide public transport plans for new developments.

Chinnappen said the city was dealing with the planning side of the project and was looking at support road projects such as extensions to Acre and Frans Conradie roads.

Good project. Century city is gonna benefit more out of this.

[Mo Rush]

yeah. another one of those transport projects that were meant to happen 10 years ago and is only taking place now.

[Mo Rush]

2010 challenge not fully understood

THE extent of the transport challenge facing the City and the country to meet the requirements of FIFA for 2010 World Cup are not fully appreciated, says the Cape Town Regional Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Ms Janine Myburgh, President of the Chamber, says a major concern is finding the coaches, busses and especially the drivers to transport the spectators.

At present there are about 400 luxury coaches in South Africa and this number will have to be doubled to meet the requirements of the “FIFA family”. This demand is illustrated by the FIFA request for 395 parking bays for coaches at the Green Point Stadium for their guests, sponsors and other VIPs for the semi-final.

In relatively small country like Germany this service could be provided by a national fleet which would move from city to city as required, but this may not be possible in South Africa because of the vast distances between centres like Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town where the semi-finals and finals take place. For this reason the order for new coaches may be considerably more than the estimated 400.

The Cape Town City Council also estimates that a further 250 busses or coaches will be required for purely local use and this situation is likely to be duplicated in the other major centres.

This means that at least 1 000 new buses will have to be imported as well as a minimum of 500 new coaches. After 2010 the busses could be productively absorbed into public transport fleets but there is concern about the coaches with some fearing that the surplus could destabilise the flourishing tourist industry.

Ms Myburgh said the main concern was finding or training thousands of new bus and coach drivers to international standards. Transport operators estimate that it takes about a year to train a driver who has no previous heavy vehicle experience. The process is also fraught with bureaucratic difficulties as the learner drivers have to wait six months or more to be tested by municipal examiners. Drivers who fail the first time have to wait a further six months for a second test.

One suggestion already made is that mini-bus taxi drivers could be trained up for the job, but the experts do not believe that previous taxi experience will shorten training times.

“We face a major challenge,” said Ms Myburgh, “but I have no doubt that when we succeed we will also have laid the foundation for a dramatic improvement in public transport.”

[Caisson Boy]

Originally Posted by Mo Rush

yeah. another one of those transport projects that were meant to happen 10 years ago and is only taking place now.

I'm not 100 % sure, but I think that what is being proposed now is not exactly the same as what was proposed 10 years ago. The way I understand the new proposal, is that the new station will be on the Monte Vista line, between Kentemade (which is in Kensington) and Acacia Park (which is in Goodwood). This means the station will be located on the opposite side of the N1 motorway.

The sketches of the proposals I saw many years ago had two stations on either side of Century City, i.e. they were on the line that branches off from the Monte Vista line. One line goes across the N1, passes Century City and then goes underground, only to re-emerge at Milnerton and then extends towards the harbour. The other station was to the north of Century City on the line that runs up the West Coast. This line also crosses the N1, before it joins up with the Monte Vista line.

This means that both these stations would have been on the same side of the N1 as Century City, and both of them are on lines that are currently used only by freight trains. The new station is located 1km away from Canal Walk. Not exactly ideal, but I suppose better than nothing at all.

[Mo Rush]

Originally Posted by Caisson Boy

I'm not 100 % sure, but I think that what is being proposed now is not exactly the same as what was proposed 10 years ago. The way I understand the new proposal, is that the new station will be on the Monte Vista line, between Kentemade (which is in Kensington) and Acacia Park (which is in Goodwood). This means the station will be located on the opposite side of the N1 motorway.

The sketches of the proposals I saw many years ago had two stations on either side of Century City, i.e. they were on the line that branches off from the Monte Vista line. One line goes across the N1, passes Century City and then goes underground, only to re-emerge at Milnerton and then extends towards the harbour. The other station was to the north of Century City on the line that runs up the West Coast. This line also crosses the N1, before it joins up with the Monte Vista line.

This means that both these stations would have been on the same side of the N1 as Century City, and both of them are on lines that are currently used only by freight trains. The new station is located 1km away from Canal Walk. Not exactly ideal, but I suppose better than nothing at all.

Thanks for the response.
The plan that I was referring to was the Windermere Station plan which would have been situated between Kensington and Wingfield/Acacia Park. The station was part of the 1997 Olympic bid plans.

I think the location of the station would be adjusted to ensure that Canal Walk remains within walking distance for commuters, using tubes/covered walkways.