Indaba, Vista University, Soweto
22 October 2006
For the past decade, our government rightly focused much of its attention on
the basic needs such as water, sanitation, housing and education, which are all
key to the lives of our people. But it is transport; our trains, buses, taxis
and roads that often determine the quality of our life. Our Transport Month
campaign since its inception, attempts to make this point.
The National Household Travel Survey (NHTS) has analysed the concerns of our
people living in the most deprived areas of South Africa. Overwhelmingly they
listed public transport as a major concern. Poorer people are likely to walk
long distances to catch a taxi or a bus. Children from poor families are more
likely to walk longer distances to school than children from affluent
areas.
Most people face the anger, irritation and frustration when their journey
takes twice as long as it should. When people talk about the bad day they have
had, they are often talking about the rail trip, the taxi or bus trip they have
just taken.
Despite the growth in car use, public transport and walking are still the
predominant "lifeline" forms of mobility for the vast majority of South
Africans to access work, schools and services.
According to the Survey (NHTS 2003):
* thirty eight million citizens live in households with no access to a
car
* forty million citizens do not have drivers' licences
* fourteen million learners walk to school, and seven million workers and
learners use public transport
* thirteen point seven million use public transport at least once a week and
seven million use private cars.
A modern South Africa needs a modern public transport system. We require an
aggressive public transport system that is safe, punctual, reliable and
affordable. Our public transport strategy, as endorsed by the Transport
Lekgotla, begins to address these challenges. The strategy is firmly based on
the White Paper on National Transport Policy and the Moving South Africa Action
Agenda.
The key pillars of the strategy are twofold; the aggressive modal upgrading
as well as the integrated mass rapid public transport networks.
In terms of the modal upgrading, our strategy calls for urgent improvements
in the current public transport services and the accelerated upgrade of the
public transport fleet as its centrepiece.
It requires of us to stabilise operational environment through short-term
interventions such as the:
* consolidation of the passenger rail sector
* rolling out the National Passenger Rail plan
* fast tracking and implementing taxi recapitalisation including improved
regulation and law enforcement
* transforming and optimising current subsidised bus services.
The public transport strategy will enable the achievement of our vision of a
sustainable mass rapid public transport system. We are going to ensure the
promotion of a growing public transport sector that is able to meet the needs
of current and new users and is able to deliver functioning intermodal
systems.
It is our firm belief that the emphasis needs to be placed on transforming
the semi-formal operators into an integrated system that is planned and well
managed by the public sector, while being operated by the existing private
operators. The strategic aim is to work with existing operators and existing
road and rail infrastructure, in order to reorganise and upgrade operations
into a high quality integrated network.
This will allow existing operators and their workforce to have a guaranteed
stake in a new mass rapid transit network and will ensure improved revenues for
operators and service delivery for users and government.
The building blocks of our strategy include among others:
* strong local planning, regulation and management of public transport
networks
* rapid and innovative action-plans and projects based on local Integrated
Transport Plans that optimises network efficiencies across all modes of
transport including non-motorised transport
* strong local enforcement capacity to deal with safety and security issues in
the public transport system
* fast-tracking of national initiatives to stabilise modal sectors
* management and control of car use and land use to ensure viable and efficient
transport.
* Access to transport for rural and urban poor through the extension of
affordable services.
Part of this work is already in motion and major strides are being made
particularly to fast-track the taxi recapitalisation in order to replace the
ageing taxi fleet. We have already consolidated the passenger rail entities,
South African Rail Commuter Corporation (SARCC) and Metrorail, and have
developed a turn around strategy for the passenger rail service. We have also
developed a model tender contract for the transformation of the bus subsidy
system.
My Department has to a large extent developed draft strategies in the areas
of rural transport, special needs users, Black Economic Empowerment, etc.
Additional work is currently being undertaken on public transport subsidy
reform, travel demand management and electronic fare collection and further
work will be done to develop strategies for effective devolution to the most
appropriate sphere of government and to achieve corridor-based networks at
citywide scale.
Looking ahead, our strategy will ensure:
* increased overall capacity of municipalities in planning, regulating and
managing locally-driven mass rapid public transport networks
* a city network that prioritises quality public transport and non-motorised
transport and quality public space system
* phased but effective implementation of an integrated mass rapid public
transport system
* effective integration of transport planning and land use management
* effective regulation and enforcement capacity and tools in place
* enhanced personal safety and security in our public transport system.
A clear implementation plan will be developed by the end of 2006 and will
also be used to motivate for additional funding. A critical component of our
action-plan will include three action agenda areas:
* An accelerated Recovery and catalytic projects to stabilise the current
passenger transport service delivery environment as well as to recover from the
lack of proper infrastructure and operations investments.
* The promotion and delivery of basic networks to achieve physical
implementation. The purpose is to fully upgrade key integrated mass rapid
public transport corridors particularly in all six metropolitan cities and
districts.
* Lastly, we will advance and sustain accessible networks in order to
significantly expand and transform public transport through large scale or mass
implementation in the long term.
An additional R5 billion expenditure per annum is required to address the
current decline in service levels and to implement our strategy over the next
10 to 15 years.
The eyes of the world are also on us as we accelerate our preparations for
the 2010 FIFA World Cup. A 2010 Transport Action Agenda has already been
developed and the World Cup Public Transport Infrastructure and Systems Fund
have allocated a first round of funding to municipalities. The success of this
event is dependent mainly on our ability to provide world-class infrastructure
and systems that will be enjoyed by all South Africans well beyond 2010.
Government has set aside R3,8 billion for the public transport and
non-motorised transport infrastructure for the 2010 Soccer World Cup. Our
Transport plan will ensure:
* efficient and safe transportation for all visitors
* but most importantly it will ensure sufficient air, road and rail transport
operators and infrastructure to accommodate the event.
My department is currently engaged in detailing the World Cup development
programme and some of the key thrusts of our programme include among
others:
* calling for project proposals from host municipalities in order to
allocate funds for 2007/08 onwards
* overall Programme Management and Interdepartmental co-ordination on World Cup
development
* structured communication and co-ordination with all stakeholders in transport
sector to ensure overall co-ordination for transport readiness and delivering a
legacy of improvement
* champion accelerated investment to ensure relevant infrastructure, systems
and operational readiness to host the World Cup
* over-arching planning and analysis that includes accurate transport
predictions to develop successful operational plans
* World Cup transport concept plans setting out overall transport plans for
hosting events.
We have already started implementing some of our transport projects. As I
have indicated, R241 million has already been allocated to the host
municipalities. A further R700 million will be allocated during the current
financial year. The success of our initiatives depends solely on your full
support. We must do more to embed this at the heart of our discussions.
We have to use the Transport Indaba to be bold enough to consolidate these
initiatives. We must take forward decisively a successful Public Transport Plan
which truly complements our economy. And this to me is the essence of our
Transport Indaba.
Let me also draw your attention to an urgent issue of the devastating
increase of road accidents in our road network. The number of people affected
by accidents rises every year. And it is our families that suffer the most
devastating effects of these accidents. On average accidents take 13 000
innocent lives every year. This translates to R43 billion in costs to the
economy annually. Our Road Safe Strategy as approved by Cabinet will introduce
drastic steps to improve the levels of road safety.
We will be intensifying law enforcement on public transport, pedestrians and
cyclists. An investigation will soon be finalised to declare Traffic
Enforcement an essential service to enable officers to work during evenings and
weekends. Extra traffic enforcement personnel will be employed to improve the
visibility of officers on our road network.
A system of traffic infringement management which includes a points merit
and demerit system, a system of driver re-training and testing after serious
crashes or repeat violations will be introduced as a mechanism to deal with
lawlessness on our roads and reduce road fatalities. The administrative
adjudication of road traffic offences will be piloted in Tshwane in January
2007, which will include the points demerit system.
The Special Investigation Unit will also continue with its investigation of
fraudulent drivers' licences to reduce levels of corruption in the testing
centres.
While our Road Safety Strategy is an enormous achievement, there is a
serious need for radical co-operation by road users to take full responsibility
for their actions. The Transport Indaba gives us an opportunity to transform
South Africa's driving behaviour once and for all. I hope that the Indaba will
allow us to take a long hard look at our national road safety strategy and how
we take tough steps to discourage bad driving behaviour.
The Indaba must be an event of commitment. It must be a commitment based on
success, results, genuine and sustained improvement of our transport system. I
am confident that you have the resolve and the responsibility to accept the
challenge I am putting to you today. I believe together we will put in place
the improvements which are necessary. That is the challenge for today and that
is the outcome I want to see from this Indaba.
Let us also help those who are dragging their feet on our concerted attempts
to improve the state of our transport system. I remain hopeful that we can pull
them around to a common position. I firmly believe that the only answer is to
construct a common agenda. We have a profound choice to make, its either we
continue to make modest progress or we must act decisively. Let us put
Transport squarely on the agenda. We must make sure that the impact of some of
the measures we take over the next two days must be felt during our
lifetime.
In conclusion, it is a fact that South Africans will hold us accountable on
all the issues I have raised this morning. It is vital that we deliver on these
issues, and that we review our strategy and policies at every stage. For me
this strikes at the heart of what Transport Indaba means in practise. At its
core, modern democracy stands for a safe, reliable and affordable transport
system supported by decent service standards as a defining characteristic of
our world. That is the real task we have for the two days and the time-scale is
urgent.
I thank you for your attention.
Issued by: Department of Transport
22 October 2006
Source: SAPA
