I Jacobs: Conclusion of Transport Month

31 October 2007

Introduction

Programme Director
Distinguished guests
Friends and colleagues
Ladies and gentlemen

Welcome to the exciting conclusion of our successful Transport Month
Campaign. Once again, and for a period of four weeks, the residents of Gauteng,
and all our other partners, have told us what strengths and challenges we need
to address in our public transport system. And, yet even more, we continue to
vigorously pursue the implementation of programmes to address such challenges.
Our partnership with communities has also grown tremendously.

This year, we also asked young people to use artworks and depict their
envisioned public transport system, and they took us to the future, with space
age concepts and a clear understanding of a need for a unity of service. In the
same vein, we also saw to the successful setting and implementation of a new
agenda for better public transport in our province.

Indeed, the face of our province is changing, especially the transport
landscape, informed by the pursuit of the affordability, accessibility,
comfort, safety, and environmental friendliness of a future public transport
system.

Context and challenges

All the programmes that we implemented during transport month will continue
to characterise our transport agenda and help in fulfilling our strategic
objectives. The implementation of the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Scheme, the
Gautrain Rapid Rail Link, the HOV Lane Pilot Project, the Car Free Day Concert;
the R200 million upgrade of the K15 Roadway, the Shova Kalula Bicycle
Programme, and the 2010 Transport Legacy Projects also enabled all of us to
continue working together in finding sustainable mobility solutions for our
communities.

Gauteng accounts for almost 40% of vehicle ownership and usage in our
country and this means that, due to the emission of harmful gases such as
Carbon Dioxide, we are one of the biggest contributors to air pollution. This
calls on all of us to contribute towards a sustainable use of energy.

We also need to use road space in a safe and sustainable way, by
collectively reducing road accidents and thus ensuring that our cities become
livable and safe.

As government, we are also doing work to ensure that the development of our
cities necessarily addresses the challenge of urban sprawl by putting much
emphasis on densification strategies, and using spatial planning to redesign
our landscape on issues of transport, housing and other forms of land use.

In line with the International Union of Public Transport (UITP) approach to
ensuring a comprehensive and strategically co-ordinated approach to urban
mobility challenges, we are finalising the establishment of the Gauteng
Transport Management Authority in order to ensure better planning,
co-ordination, and alignment of transport related programmes across the
province.

Programmes

As government, we are currently implementing the Gauteng Freeway Improvement
Scheme, side by side with A Better Roads Plan for our province, in order to
ensure better access to places of economic activity, and at the same time,
unlock the potential of communities that have been on the periphery.

We are also learning from international best practices by major cities
around the world, who are also members of the International Association of
Public Transport, in finding sustainable solutions to car use and traffic
congestion. This refers to the implementation of the High Occupancy Vehicle
(HOV) Lane on major road arterials in the City of Ontario in Canada, as well as
the community driven congestion management strategy in the City of Seoul in
South Korea, through a staggered and alternating use of private cars on the
basis of the chronology of registration plates.

Conclusion

The Schools Competition that we launched in mid October, involving learners
from Grades 0 to 7, tells us that the children of our province have enabled us
to touch the future, through paintings. Indeed, as one of the winners clearly
shows, all public transport modes would unite into a single service for the
people of our country. The system would also be environmentally friendly.

I thank you.

Enquiries:
Alfred Nhlapo
Tel: 011 335 7532
Cell: 083 376 8496

Issued by: Department of Public Transport, Roads and Works, Gauteng
Provincial Government
31 October 2007