EcoMobility Fest ends on a high note
02 November 2015
In what was a fitting finale to the month-long EcoMobility World Festival, more than 2 000 people thronged into West Street in Sandton on Saturday October 31 to be entertained by some of the country’s top musicians in a day filled with exciting activities, family fun and a vibey atmosphere.
Johannesburg Executive Mayor Councillor Parks Tau, Member of the Mayoral Committee for Transport Councillor Christine Walters, Finance MMC Councillor Geoffrey Makhubo, the City’s Executive Director of Transport, Lisa Seftel, and other high-ranking City officials leisurely mingled with the crowds. Not even the rare slight drizzle could dampen the spirits of the revellers as DJ Black Coffee, Mafikizolo and the energetic Soweto Fines belted out popular tunes to their delight.
The party-goers did not miss out on the Soweto derby between Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates as well as the Rugby World Cup final between New Zealand and Australia as a number of big high-definition TV screens had been provided at the venue to enable them to follow all the action live.
Both Mayor Tau and Seftel described the festival as a great success, saying it had raised awareness of the importance of cycling, walking and using public transport.
Mayor Tau thanked Johannesburg residents for their support during the festival, which saw parts of the Sandton CBD closed off to vehicular traffic.
“The festival was very successful to the extent that it generated a lot of conversation, especially on social media, around the compelling global reasons why all of us should contribute to the decongestion of our urban areas. But the hard work starts now as we prepare for [the COP21 Climate Change Summit in] Paris [in December].”
On Friday October 30 the Executive Mayor said despite initial scepticism, attitudes quickly changed as the festival progressed. He said an online survey had revealed a noticeable shift of people moving from travelling in their own cars to using public transport.
“The percentage of people who indicated that they used private vehicles to travel into the Sandton CBD dropped from 90% to 68%. Gautrain use increased by 8% during the festival,” Mayor Tau said.
He acknowledged that there was “a level of dissatisfaction with travelling within Sandton”, mostly because of the ongoing construction work. He said the festival had proved that there was a clear need for safe, affordable and an accessible integrated public transport system. He said the City would continue working towards extending Rea Vaya and Metrobus services and improving or providing transport infrastructure.
The Executive Mayor said the City would reintroduce express lanes along Republic Road, William Nicol Drive and Sandton Drive to accommodate public transport and pool cars. He said the construction of new cycle lanes and the widening of sidewalks on both sides of West and Maude streets would be completed by June 2016.
A permanent cycling lane will also be constructed to connect Rosebank and Sandton.
The Johannesburg Declaration on Ecomobility in Cities