Madam Speaker
It is my pleasure to table the 2014/15 Annual Report of the Department of Roads and Transport. The report provides a snapshot of the department’s programmes, projects and activities, and achievements and challenges for the period under review.
In building the provincial economy, roads and transport infrastructure plays an enabling role. It helps to stimulate economic growth at a time when economies the world over are battling to maintain growth and keep expenditure within reduced budgets.
The department has a huge responsibility to build new roads, and more importantly, to maintain the existing road network. With the ongoing growth in the vehicle population in our province, particularly vehicles carrying freight, our road network is being put under great pressure.
What the Annual Report points out is that in spite of a limited budget at its disposal, the department has succeeded in spending almost all of its road maintenance and construction allocation to maintain our road assets in a reasonable state to ensure mobility, and economic and social access. This in itself contributes to greater ease of mobility and the expansion of our road network.
For the period under review the following road projects were completed: A significant segment of William Nicol Drive has been upgraded from a single to a dual carriageway (with a total of six lanes), including non-motorised-transport lanes and pedestrian sidewalks. This is giving practical effect to the policy outlined in the 25 year Integrated Transport Master Plan (ITMP25), which speaks of a “complete street” that provides for both motorised and non-motorised transport.
The William Nicol Project has demonstrated how one can integrate land use development and road infrastructure by forging a partnership with a developer who has contributed to one-third of the total cost of construction. The department has learnt a few good lessons from this experience and our officials are better placed to harmonise road construction work with human settlements and industrial and business development.
Cullinan Road has also been upgraded with enhanced safety measures so as to support tourism and mining in the town. Cullinan has grown as a tourist attraction linked to the diamond mining industry, particularly after the spectacular diamond finds in recent years. This, coupled with heavy duty vehicle traffic traversing through the town to avoid the toll roads, has placed enormous pressure on the main road leading into the town. The upgrade of the Cullinan Road has reduced traffic pressure on the main road; improved safety for motorists and has benefitted the tourism, diamond mining and agriculture industries in the area.
In the year under review, the department also rehabilitated Tarlton Road to provide an important link between Randfontein and Tarlton. Witkoppen Road has been rehabilitated and the damaged bridge on that road has been repaired. Steady progress has been made on the reconstruction of the R511 from Erasmia to Diepsloot/N14. More importantly, the R55 was completed providing a major alternative, non-tolled route from Atteridgeville and Laudium towards Johannesburg.
In addition, significant freeway rehabilitation has been completed on the N12 from Eldorado Park to Zuurbekom, which is also not to be tolled.
This brings me to the important issue of the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project (GFIP). The past financial year has seen greater policy certainty across all spheres of government on the question of e-tolling and the “user pay” principle. The appointment by the Premier of the Review Panel on the Socio-Economic Impact of e-Tolls and the subsequent report of the Inter-Ministerial Task Team led by the Deputy President, have resulted in tangible financial benefits for motorists who use the tolled freeway network.
The reduction in the threshold or cap to R225 per month; the waiving of the stepped penalty regime; the simplified vehicle recognition or registration system and the reaffirmation of the “user pays” principle by all spheres of government is steadily bearing fruit. This is clearly visible in the improvement in payment levels. Since the announcement of the new dispensation by Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa in May this year, toll revenue from the GFIP increased by an average of 25 percent as at July 2015. Revenue collection had increased from R60 million in April 2015 to R81 million in July 2015.
SANRAL has implemented the equal tariff policy – the standard tariff whether or not a vehicle is registered – since July 2015 and last month it has published the draft regulations for public comment relating to:
- exemptions from and rebates on payment of e-tolls
- e-road regulations
- tolls for different categories of road users and classes of vehicles; and rebates on payment of tolls Written comments on these proposed regulations should be submitted to the Director-General in the Department of Transport by the end of this month.
Madam Speaker
We are encouraged that government’s interventions to promote non-motorised transport is gaining momentum. The department has constructed pedestrian walkways and cycles lanes on the Lilian Ngoyi Street, Dube Street and Curry Boulevard in Bophelong. This pattern is being followed in all three metropolitan municipalities. These measures mitigate against traffic congestion and help to reduce our carbon foot print. Of course, much more is needed to make non-motorisedtransport a part of the mainstream in our transport system. Yet, these are important steps we have taken.
In October this year – which is our Transport Month – the use of personal transport and traffic in Sandton will be severely curtailed as part of the City of Johannesburg’s EcoMobility campaign. For the month a grid of streets in the heart of Sandton will be cordoned off resulting in the curtailment and use of personal vehicle traffic. Business people, shoppers and visitors will be encouraged to use public transport and nonmotorised forms of mobility. This will be coupled with street festivals and cultural fairs.
The EcoMobility Campaign is an international effort and the city will be hosting mayors from other major cities in the world, who will be participating in the global EcoMobility initiative.
The department is aware that small-to-medium businesses are the very heartthrob of our economy, particularly in townships, and serve to make our economy more inclusive and equitable. Small to medium enterprises need to be paid on time so that they could meet their financial obligations and grow themselves. It is from this awareness and business case that the department has worked hard to meet Treasury’s demand that suppliers be paid within 30 days.
I am pleased to report that the department is averaging at 95 per cent compliance in this regard.
Madam Speaker
I want to briefly report on progress made in respect of developing our public transport system. Good progress has been made in developing the bus rapid transit systems in Gauteng metropolitan municipalities. Construction work on Rea Vaya Phase 1C in Johannesburg is on track; A re Yeng in Tshwane has been launched and Harambi in Ekurhuleni will be functional by mid-2016.
Gautrain’s ridership has increased to 1.4 million passengers per month and plans are at an advanced stage to acquire 40 new train coaches. Importantly, flights from Wonderboom Airport to Cape Town will be resumed in October Transport Month and announcements relating to the development of airport cities at both Lanseria and OR Tambo International Airports will be made in the next few months.
Notwithstanding the initial difficulties that were experienced in introducing Autopax bus services in Mamelodi, Midvaal and Ekurhuleni, the department has been receiving extremely positive feedback from commuters on the quality of the busses and the services being rendered to them.
On the question of integrating the taxi industry into the broader public transport system and to improve the overall quality of minibus taxi services, the Premier has established a Joint Working Committee with the provincial leadership of the taxi industry to examine the policy and funding instruments needed to take the initiative forward.
However, this process is in jeopardy as the Gauteng National Taxi Alliance and the Mamelodi Transport Solutions, incorporating the two local taxi associations in the area, have lodged court action against the department. What must be made clear to the taxi industry is that this government will discuss matters of mutual interest in good faith with it, but it will not be browbeaten to take a particular course of action.
Finally, the transport family has no boundaries. Its strengths are embedded in its global makeup from which it draws its collective capacity and capabilities. South Africa continues to draw its strength by being part of the international transport family, which is organisationally represented by the International Association of Public Transport (UITP).
The department is honoured that one of its officials, namely Jack van der Merwe, holds the Presidency of the African chapter of the UITP, known as the African Association of Public Transport (UATP) and we were privileged to host in November 2014 the 2st UATP Congress in Gauteng.
The Annual Report demonstrates that the department’s 25 year Integrated Transport Master Plan (ITMP25) provides a sense of predictability and certainty from a transport planning perspective. It indicates what our future public transport and road network needs are to stimulate economic growth; meet the ever increasing demands of a growing population; increase the number of jobs created and to reduce traffic congestion.
It reports on the progress the department and local government authorities have made in building the public transport system through bus rapid transit services and the expansion of the rail network.
The report also highlights the challenges that we face as government in meeting the increased demands for services from our people and the inadequacy of our financial resources to adequately meet such demands.
With these few remarks, Madam Speaker, I have the pleasure of tabling the Annual Report of the Department of Roads and Transport for the financial year ending March 2015.
