IDP plans for the future
- Details
- 25 April 2013
Executive Mayor Parks Tau has big plans for the next three years
Sustainable, environmentally sound transport options are crucial to Joburg's growth. By 2040, the City plans to be pedestrian and public transport oriented.
THE City of Johannesburg will embark on a massive infrastructure development programme that will transform the city spatially and economically over the next three years, according to Executive Mayor Parks Tau.
This includes creating economic opportunities from more sustainable and green services such as producing bio-ethanol, manufacturing solar geysers and the provision of public transport.
Rea Vaya, the City's Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system, sits neatly within these parameters. Apart from being environmentally friendly, it transports about one million passengers a month, and is operated by local taxi drivers and owners. It is estimated that the BRT will save 1.6 million tons of CO2 equivalent emissions by 2020 if 15 percent of private vehicle users who live near the city centre switch to it.
Rea Vaya is already contributing to a cut in greenhouse gas emissions with its fleet of over 143 buses. They run on low-sulphur diesel, which emits less greenhouse gases than other types of fuel.
Tau was speaking at the launch of the 2013/16 Integrated Development Plan (IDP) and budget outreach in Kliptown, Soweto on Tuesday, 9 April. The IDP maps out the City's immediate priorities and required actions for the next five years. He said R30.6-billion had been set aside to enable the realisation of this vision.
"This will come to pass if the capital expenditure spend is in line with prudent ratios. The City's budgeting process is moving away from consumption to investment. The time has come for the City to start implementing the outcomes of the Joburg 2040 Strategy."
The Joburg 2040 Growth and Development Strategy responds to the multiple challenges and uncertain futures faced by the city. Rather than simply a blueprint plan for the future, Joburg 2040 lays the foundation for multi-level, multi-scalar and integrated responses to the challenges faced by a rapidly growing city.
"Eco-mobility refers to environmentally sustainable and socially inclusive ways of local mobility, combining the use of non-motorised transport means such as walking, cycling and wheeling with the use of public transport and light electric vehicles from renewable energy resources," reads Joburg 2040. "As such, the City will make continued investments in mass public transport and non-motorised transport, prioritising the pedestrian over the car."
By 2040, Johannesburg will be pedestrian and public transport oriented. This entails ensuring both a shift in mind-set and a shift in practice, encouraged by viable and efficient public transport systems and safe walking spaces. Most of Joburg's residents, by 2040, will shift to an efficient, reliable, affordable and accessible mass public transport system – and a parallel, inter-connected pedestrian system. Interventions will aim to:
- Ensure increased use and financial viability of Rea Vaya.
- Deliver valuable, integrated and aligned transport, by developing sound plans that improve mobility and access for all. The City is reviewing and updating its Integrated Transport Plan, which will be refined and finalised alongside the 2040 Spatial Plan, 2040 Sustainable Human Settlements Plan, and national visions of space and mobility.
- Improve pedestrian mobility by focusing on inner city distribution.
- Work with other spheres of government, while also taking into account opportunities for public and private collaboration. Johannesburg is not an island, but is part of the Gauteng City Region, with daily transport flows that extend beyond municipal boundaries. The City must align its transport planning with Gauteng provincial plans and those of surrounding municipalities. Joburg also supports the Durban-Gauteng Freight Corridor 2050 Vision, which includes strategically located logistics hubs and terminals and is underpinned by supportive local area land use plans.
- Invest in research and development, with an emphasis on using data and tracking as the basis for sound transport planning and implementation.
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