Ecomobility World Festival in Joburg – one year later

01 November 2016

 

Transport Month 2016 has come and gone.

The month, observed nationally since October 2005, is used every year to shine the spotlight on the importance of transport to the economy, identify transport-related gaps that stifle growth, focus on investment in roads infrastructure and continually seek sustainable solutions and interventions to the enormous public transport challenges facing the country, particularly major cities such as Johannesburg.

 

This year’s Transport Month marked exactly a year since the City of Johannesburg undertook one of the most ambitious, if not controversial, projects when it asked motorists to park their cars in the garage for a month and take public transport instead.

Sandton, the city’s second-biggest central business district (CBD) and the richest square mile on the continent, was to be closed off to private-car traffic for a month and residents encouraged to use minibus taxis, buses, the Rea Vaya bus rapid transit (BRT) system, Gautrain or non-motorised forms of mobility such as cycling and walking to get around.

Asking people to leave their precious and most-treasured toys at home for the whole month and change the way they moved was a brave initiative that demonstrated a clear intent of purpose on the part of the City. It was a gamble that only one city in the world – Suwon – had ever taken.

The South Korean city was the first metropolis to stage the Eco mobility World Festival –in September 2013 when it made its Haenggung-dong urban neighbourhood a car-free zone for the entire month.

It was around that time that the City of Johannesburg raised its hand and volunteered to be the next host – to test the extent of its political will and its citizens’ preparedness and willingness to move out of their comfort zone and take a giant leap into a car-free future.

The City had a compelling argument to migrate to green transport alternatives. Traffic congestion in major South African centres cost the country more than R1-billion a year in lost production. With more than 1.5 million registered vehicles in Johannesburg, traffic congestion in the city had reached alarming proportions and decisive action needed to be taken to stop the traffic situation from spiralling out of control.

For instance, more than 100 000 private cars struggle to move into and out of Sandton between 7am and 8am every week day, almost turning the entire urban space into a giant parking lot. It’s not a pretty sight. It’s also unsustainable.

Also of significance to note is that Johannesburg was – and still is – struggling to win the war against one of the biggest threats facing humankind today: greenhouse gas emissions. In Johannesburg, around 27% of all greenhouse gas emissions were – and still are – attributed to the transport sector.

For the City, Eco mobility provided the answers to all these challenges.

Cycling and walking as non-motorised modes of mobility don’t only contribute to the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions but they also have enormous health benefits, which are important for the economy.

Sandton was a perfect precinct to showcase how, with proper planning, the City could deal with congestion by creating an environment that made public transport, walking and cycling the modes of choice. When world leaders converged in Sandton to discuss and find better solutions to urban public transportation, City administrators promised to continue seeking better to transport its growing population.

Experts say that businesses that rely on quick and efficient flows of people and goods no longer see themselves able to forecast travel time, plan journeys and schedule meetings.

So, a year after staging what has been described as a highly successful Eco mobility Word Festival in October 2015, is Johannesburg anywhere near reducing private-car use from 63% to at least 45% as envisaged by the City? Is the public transport system in Johannesburg adequate, reliable and safe enough to start making a clean break with the status quo? Are people walking or cycling to work more often than before? Does the infrastructure allow for this to happen?

Or was the flame that lit up the festival extinguished on the same day that the final curtain was drawn?

Certainly not, says the City of Johannesburg's Member of the Mayoral Committee for Transport Cllr Nonhlahla Makhuba in response to the last question. The City, she says, will continue to seek innovative ways to help decongest its CBDs and encourage the use of other forms of mobility.

Lisa Seftel, the City's Executive Director of Transport who played a critical role during the festival, adds that work to transform public transport landscape in Johannesburg is on track.
She says not only did last year's festival place transport innovation at the centre of the City's planning objectives, but “we also had necessary discussions about how best to reduce congestion in our city and how to encourage people to move out of their cars and begin to enjoy public transport”.

“Statistics tell us that people are willing to leave their cars at home and hop onto a bus, minibus taxi or bicycle, or walk to their destinations. What we also know is that when you offer safe and reliable public transport, people are willing to change.”

To this end, the extension of the bus rapid transit (BRT) system to Sandton is at an advanced stage. The construction of a pedestrian bridge over the M1 between Sandton and Alexandra is also progressing well.

“We are bringing BRT to Sandton. Cycle lanes and Gautrain are also important elements,” she says. “People walk much easier in West Street than before. We will see improvements as we continue to invest in new transport projects.”

“As we undertake roadworks, there is less anger and more understanding from people who work, live and shop in Sandton. If people want to think about a sustainable future, they must start thinking about not using their cars.”

There has been buy-in from commuters, too.

Jacob Tsotetsi, who lives in Chiawelo, Soweto, and works in Sandton, says commuting has never been so stress-free since the introduction of the BRT system linking the township to the Johannesburg CBD.

“I used to waste so much time driving to work. The cost of petrol was just unbelievable. Now I just park my car at Thokoza Park, hop onto the Rea Vaya bus to town and take connecting transport straight to Sandton – at half the time and cost,” says Tsotetsi.

He has welcomed the move to extend the BRT system to Sandton.

Seftel says if nothing is done to introduce other forms of transportation, the Sandton and Johannesburg CBDs will become two “big jungles”.

The City’s message is simply this: Eco mobility is the future.