10 May 2006
Gauteng Province will in the next five years roll out extensive transport
infrastructure projects ranging from roads, rail, airways, public transport,
and freight, with better co-ordination.
This follows a strategic transport planning workshop hosted by MEC for
Public Transport, Roads and Works, Ignatius Jacobs, in Tshwane on 8 and 9 May
2006.
The workshop was attended by delegates from Gauteng municipalities, the
Airports Company of South Africa, Spoornet, the South African National Roads
Agency Limited (SANRAL) and the South African Rail Commuter Corporation
(SARCC), all with the view to align transport plans across the provincial
divide.
There were also extensive discussions on plans to increase investment in
transport infrastructure in the next few years.
The workshop also tackled plans aimed at concretising the hosting of the
2010 Fifa World Cup. Later this month a provincial transport forum, made up of
all participants, will unveil various detailed and costed strategic plans for
Gauteng.
A broad range of outcomes of the workshop includes:
* Government plans to increase its expenditure on public transport by R25
billion over the next four years
* The launch of an Integrated Transport Plan by August 2006
* Efforts to increase local investment on public transport to allow
municipalities to improve public transport services on buses and taxis
* The launch of a Consolidated Infrastructure Plan by the end of 2006
* Work towards establishing a single transport authority for Gauteng by January
2007
* The finalisation of the Gauteng Road Network by June 2006
* The unveiling of a new subsidy system for buses, taxis and rail by September
2006.
"This indeed shows that as both government and the people of Gauteng we are
excited, not only about the 2010 World Cup, but also the future of our country.
Collectively, we are contributing towards a safe, reliable, accessible and
affordable transport system. There is a whole new vibe spreading across our
province and it gives us courage that we will meet our job creation and poverty
reduction targets in the second decade of our democracy," said Jacobs.
Enquiries
Alfred Nhlapo
Tel: (011) 355 7532
Cell: 083 376 8496
Issued by: Department of Public Transport, Roads and Works, Gauteng
Provincial Government
10 May 2006
