City aims to double Rea Vaya passenger numbers
- Details
- 26 May 2015
The bulk of the Transport Department's three-year, R3.5-billion capital budget will be spent on the Rea Vaya phase 1C expansion and associated roll-out of dedicated pedestrian and cycling pathways.
The City of Johannesburg is aiming to double Rea Vaya passenger numbers, Finance MMC Geoffrey Makhubo said during his 2015/16 Budget speech, allocating R3.5-billion over three years to the Transport Department chiefly for Rea Vaya's phase 1C expansion between Parktown, Alexandra and Sandton.
Addressing councillors, citizens and the media at the Sandton Convention Centre on Tuesday, 26 May, MMC Makhubo identified the Rea Vaya bus rapid transit (BRT) network as "the backbone" of the City's Corridors of Freedom programme.
The Corridors programme seeks to overcome the legacy of apartheid town planning by optimising development in and around high-intensity movement corridors, starting with the Empire-Perth Corridor connecting Soweto to the CBD, the Louis Botha Corridor between the Joburg CBD, Alexandra, Sandton, Diepsloot and Ivory Park, and the Turffontein Corridor.
"The Rea Vaya network is the backbone to the Corridor developments, and the blue, red and white buses have become a familiar part of the Johannesburg landscape, making more than 23 000 passenger trips per day," Makhubo said.
"By 2016 we intend to increase this to over 45 000 passenger trips daily, making public transport a viable option along the Corridors of Freedom."
To facilitate this, the City's Transport Department has been allocated a three-year capital budget of R3.5-billion, the bulk of which will be spent on Rea Vaya's phase 1C expansion from Parktown to Alexandra and Sandton, as well as on the associated roll-out of non-motorised transport infrastructure.
Over the past few years, the City has built dedicated pedestrian and cycling pathways in various communities, including Braamfontein, Brixton and Soweto. Makhubo said these would continue to be rolled out in other communities such as Orange Farm, Ivory Park, Auckland Park and Rosebank.
"In the Sandton CBD alone we are investing about R150-million to widen sidewalks, add cycle lanes and introduce, not only the Rea Vaya BRT, but also dedicated public transport lanes for all forms of public transport," he said.
"We are doing this because if we want Sandton to continue to grow as a business, financial and retail hub, it needs to be easily accessible and the streets need to be attractive and safe for all road users.
"The pain you are enduring on Katherine Drive today, as we construct the dedicated lanes for Rea Vaya, will be worth it in addressing congestion in Sandton. In future, more people will opt for Rea Vaya as a reliable public transport option."
