Sandton residents urged to support ecomobility
11 September 2015
Sandton residents and workers have been invited to experiment with non-motorised transport and change the way they move during next month’s Ecomobility World Festival.
Hosted by the City of Johannesburg, the month-long festival gives global transport experts, academics and municipal officials a platform to discuss environmentally friendly ways of travel. More than 15 mayors from around the world and 40 high-profile speakers are expected to attend the festival, which starts on October 1 and ends on October 31.
Johannesburg Executive Mayor Councillor Parks Tau has extended an invitation to Sandton residents and workers to take part in the planned events.
“Sandton is one of the most congested urban spaces in South Africa and the picture of traffic in the precinct is gloomy. On a daily basis between 7.30am and 08.30am about 95 700 people move into Sandton and just over 50 000 travel out. This is more than 140 000 people daily.
“It is evident that Sandton’s phenomenal growth cannot be sustainable from a transport point of view unless there is a significant shift from private to public transport,” says Mayor Tau.
After much consultation with residents and the business community, everyone now understands the importance of hosting the festival in Sandton, says the City’s Executive Director of Transport, Lisa Seftel. Commercial parking areas at Sandton City, Benmore Gardens and the Sandton Convention Centre will not be affected during the festival.
“The buildings that fall within the affected areas are predominately of businesses that support the initiative,” says Seftel.
Some of the streets to be closed or partially closed include Alice, Gwen, Maude, Stella and West. West Street will be divided into two by a hoarding, which will stretch from the corner of Friedman to near the entrance of the Michelangelo Hotel. Vehicles belonging local residents and businesses will be able to access their premises behind the construction hoarding.
The Gautrain Station’s internal drop-off/pickup facility and parking area will be accessible from Rivonia Road through a managed access point.
For the section north of the Gautrain station, The Michelangelo, (135 West), Sandown Clinic and Citibank (145 West Street), employees and visitors will be given access to their properties. Maude Street (West) – between Fifth and West streets – will be fully accessible on weekdays from Fifth Street only and will operate as a cul-de-sac with a turnaround facility at the break in the median at the Garden Court Hotel entrance.
Maude Street (East) will only be accessible via the intersection of West and Friedman or from Stella Street with an eastbound exit onto Rivonia Road only. Alice Lane will be fully accessible on weekdays from Fifth Street only and will operate as a cul-de-sac with a turnaround facility at the intersection with West Street.
Gwen Lane will be fully accessible on weekdays from Friedman Drive only and will operate as a cul-de-sac at Maude Street (no throughway). During peak hour workers at the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, HSBC and Deutsche Bank will be able to exit onto Maude Street towards Rivonia Road via a dedicated island lane.
Stella Street will only be accessible via the intersection of West and Friedman, with a northbound exit via the right turn onto Maude Street (East).