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The South American creator of the bus-based mass transport system has congratulated Johannesburg on its "world class" Rea Vaya.
JOBURG'S Bus Rapid Transit system Rea Vaya has been given the thumbs-up by a world expert on public transport.
“Joburg is on the right track,” Enrique Peñalosa, the president of the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy in New York (ITDP), said after being taken on a tour on the Rea Vaya buses.
The president of the institute for transportation and development policy, Enrique Peñalosa
Peñalosa was instrumental in setting up a BRT system in Bogotá, Colombia, when he was mayor. Bogota was one of the City’s case-studies prior to setting up the Rea Vaya BRT.
Peñalosa was taken around the Rea Vaya developments by Johannesburg’s mayoral committee member for transport, Rehana Moosajee, Connie Bapela, the chairperson of the section 79 oversight committee, and other City officials.
He congratulated the City on its “beautiful” Rea Vaya BRT system and its high quality stations, saying that the “structure of Johannesburg’s BRT is world class”. He referred to the BRT as being a “beautiful symbol of democracy, all citizens are equal before the law”.
The tour, on Tuesday, 13 October, picked up the entourage at the Johannesburg Development Agency (JDA) offices at the Bus Factory in Newtown and took them to Rea Vaya’s Westgate Station. From there it was off to Soweto.
After welcoming her fellow travellers, Moosajee explained that there was ongoing and extensive interaction with Peñalosa regarding the BRT that had begun before it was set up, since he had become synonymous with the transport system he had created.
She added that even though there were a few “teething problems”, people around the city were waiting for the BRT to reach their areas.
Traffic
Speaking about transport concerns, Peñalosa explained that traffic would become much worst as the city grew much bigger. Cities could not solve mobility problems with private cars, nor could they make roads bigger; it was not only the number of cars on the road that created traffic, but also the number of trips taken by each car.
Public transport did not solve traffic congestion; that would only happen when car use was restricted, he added, which was why cities needed to have great public transport.
BRT systems are the only systems for a city like Johannesburg
“BRT systems are the only systems for a city like Johannesburg.” They were cheaper and better than rail and moved more people. Bus stations were closer to each other and commuters walked less. People also waited longer for trains than for buses, Peñalosa said.
“London has 1 800 kilometres of rail, but moves more people by bus … Mexico moves 13 percent of the population and has the largest rail system in the developing world; however, it’s very expensive.”
According to Moosajee, Joburg is trying to right the wrongs of apartheid, which separated people. On the tour, she talked about the state of the BRT at present, as well as the roads, the stadium at Soccer City and Orlando Stadium. Arriving at Thokoza Park in Soweto, she accompanied Penalosa on a walkabout around the bus station.
She added that all the BRT drivers had a background in the taxi industry.
Best practice
Peñalosa was asked to reflect on his experiences of the Rea Vaya BRT and made comparisons between Joburg’s system and international best practices.
During his term in the mayoral office in Bogotá, Peñalosa was responsible for numerous improvements in the city, among them restricting private car use. He created its highly successful bus-based mass transport system, much like the BRT, over a decade ago, and organised Car Free Day in 2000.
Another project he began was to take all cars off streets during rush hours.
Rea Vaya
Rea Vaya was officially opened on 30 August at the Westgate Station in the inner city. At present it is in its starter phase, plying a route from Soweto in the west to Ellis Park in the east.
Moosajee says the BRT buses have restored dignity to people who use public transport. It was established, according to the website, to combat congestion and to provide better public transport.
Intended to be a nationwide solution, Johannesburg is the pilot. Work began with roads being widened to accommodate separate bus lanes. The buses can hold either 75 or 112 passengers and run every three minutes in peak time and every 10 minutes during off-peak time, from 5am.
Once fully operational, BRT buses will travel about 330 kilometres across the city and suburbs. The now complete first phase, Phase 1A, travels from Regina Mundi Church in Thokoza Park, Soweto to Ellis Park.
The route passes stations at Orlando Stadium, Westgate, Chancellor House, Beyers Naude Square, Carlton Centre, Fashion Square, Johannesburg Art Gallery, and the Doornfontein campus, to Ellis Park North and Ellis Park East stations.
Phase 1B will run from Soweto, past the universities of Johannesburg and the Witwatersrand, through to Sandton.
Phase 1C will run in an east-west direction, from Alexandra to Cresta. Some 143 buses have been rolled out for Phase 1A, which travels about 25,5 kilometres and stops at 27 stations.
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