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The Bus Rapid Transit system was presented
to other cities with similar successful mass transit operations at an
international conference in Bogotá.
A PAPER on Joburg's Rea Vaya Bus Rapid
Transit (BRT) system was presented by Rehana Moosajee at the fourth
International Mass Transit Conference and Trade Fair in Bogotá, Colombia.
The Rea Vaya starter service began on 30 August 2009
Moosajee, the member of the City's mayoral
committee for transport, spoke about Rea Vaya, the first BRT system in the
country, to representatives of cities such as Bogotá and Pereira, also in
Colombia; Mexico City, in Mexico; and Ahmedabad and Delhi, in India, all of
which have successful BRT systems.
The conference ran from 4 to 7 November.
The aim of the conference was to discuss
best practice and to share knowledge between cities that operate transit
systems like the BRT, according to a media release issued by Moosajee.
Worldwide, there are 48 BRT systems already
running; there are 14 being constructed and over a hundred still in the
planning stages.
The paper
In her presentation, Moosajee spoke about Johannesburg as a world-class African
City, public transport policies in South Africa, and the role of BRT in public
transport policy; she also gave a slide show on what makes up the city.
Speaking about public transport in Joburg,
she said 3,5 million trips were made daily; 2003 statistics showed that the
average time people spent travelling was approximately 50 minutes for a single
trip, and the average cost of public transport was R186 per commuter each month.
Challenges for public transport in Johannesburg
were that the poor lived far away from work and so had to spend more money on
transport; congestion on roads resulting in longer travel time; congestion in
the inner city; lack of access for disabled commuters; that the government
historically had put very little money towards transport; and problems with
regulation.
Rehana Moosajee, member of the City’s mayoral committee for transport, presented a paper on Joburg’s Rea Vaya Bus Rapid Transit system
The City of Joburg introduced the starter
service of its BRT at the end of August. In the long term it would extend the
network to all major public transport corridors. In addition, steps were being
taken to improve safety, accessibility and sustainability of other forms of
public transport, including Metrobus, rail and minibus taxis.
Moosajee also spoke about the promotion of non-motorised
transport, which involved improving pavements, pedestrian and cycle only lanes,
street lighting, bus shelters and lay-byes; making the city a non-car friendly
zone through minimising construction of new roads and restricting the number of
parking bays for new developments; and introducing and reinforcing a set of
values that promote dignity and respect.
The City's transport values were:
- Accountability,
which aimed to make people aware of being responsible for what they did on
the road and for ensuring the safety of their vehicles and passengers;
- Co-operation,
which involved working together and accommodating other road users;
- Honesty, which
focused on obeying the rules of the road, being honest and not giving
bribes;
- Respect, which
included not using bad language or obscene gestures towards others, or
being arrogant; and
- Ubuntu,
which was a sense of sharing and togetherness.
Background to the BRT
In 2006, the City council decided to move to a fully fledged BRT called Rea
Vaya, which means "we are going". Its implementation was possible because of high
level buy-ins and partnerships, especially from the minibus taxi industry, with
a study tour of Bogotá.
A starter service began with 40 of the planned
143 buses on 30 August 2009; it makes 16 000 trips a day, covering 5 100
kilometres. The service has been well received by commuters and has the support
of political leaders in all spheres of government.
In her presentation, Moosajee said this
starter service had enabled the City to learn lessons and correct problems
without causing brand and reputational risk.
Stopping at the Ellis Park Rea Vaya station
She explained that Joburg was one of the
newest cities, established in October 1886, with a population of over three
million people living in 1 645 square kilometres. "In the future, Johannesburg
will continue to lead as South Africa's primary business city, a dynamic centre
of production, innovation, trade, finance and services."
One of the features of South African cities
was the ongoing divide between previously "white" and "black" areas, in which previously
"black" areas were characterised by high use of public transport, which was
often 15-seater minibus taxis.
The relocation of people under apartheid had
consequences such as the building of subsidised rail networks from key
dormitory townships to mines and factories; and a highly subsidised bus system,
which commuters often used, she added. In the past, good quality bus systems
were used for white commuters in white areas, while black people were forced to
use overcrowded, poor quality facilities and services and travel further
distances.
Moosajee introduced the national government's
concept of Integrated Rapid Public Transport Networks (IRPTN), which include rail
corridors and bus rapid transits, a national Passenger Rail Plan, the national Taxi
Recapitalisation Plan, and a Commuter Bus Transformation Plan.
The initial phase involved the development
of high quality Integrated Rapid Public Transport Networks in 2010 FIFA World
Cup™ host cities.
An invitation to attend the Bogotá
conference was also extended to Sicelo Mabaso, the chairman of the Top Six Taxi
Association; Eric Motshwane, the chairman of the Greater Johannesburg Regional
Taxi Association; and Nkosinathi Manzana, the Johannesburg Development Agency
(JDA) senior development manager for the BRT.
Themes
According to Moosajee's media release, themes
discussed at the conference included mass transit, climate change, sustainable
financing options, transport policies, implications for health indicators,
transport as a catalyst in urban planning, linking non-motorised transport to
mass transit planning, and political will as a key factor in BRT systems.
Its objective was to promote closer working
relationships between cities that were either in the planning process or already
operating such mass transit systems.
A key resolution taken at the gathering was
the formation of a six-member BRT Promoting Group, with the aim of develop
guidelines, terms of reference and mechanisms for sharing knowledge of BRT
systems and the facilitation of regional BRT associations, which will
eventually lead to a worldwide association of BRT cities.
Rea Vaya is a member of this group,
alongside Transmilenio in Colombia, Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit System
in India, Macrobus in Mexico City, DART in Tanzania, and BH Trans in Brazil.
In her press release, Moosajee noted that "delegates
confirmed that Joburg is up there with the best".
A lot of interest was shown in Rea Vaya and
some of its key features, such as aesthetically attractive, well-functioning
stations, and comfortable buses carrying a maximum of 112 passengers were emphasised.
Going forward
The City, she said, hoped to introduce a full phase 1A service by the first
quarter of 2010, which was to include 143 buses, trunk and complementary
routes, automatic fare collection, a fully operational control centre and an Advanced
Public Transport Management Scheme.
The next phase would be introduced by "roughly"
July 2011 with a revised model and business lessons learned from the first
phase. According to her presentation, this would increase mobility and reduce
traffic congestion, reduce the cost of transport for business and workers, and
have the potential to transform the public transport sector.
"Seeing the Joburg Rea Vaya logo among logos
of other mass transit systems from cities such as Madrid, Bogotá and Cali, made
all South African delegates proud", Moosajee stated.
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