Tours in Cape Town

Posts Tagged ‘West Coast BRT lanes’

Follow the Blue Route from the City to Bayside centre where the first phase of the West Coast bus route will end.

Cape Town decided way back in 2004 that it needed to do something about the burgeoning traffic loads on our roads. A number of reasons for the increased traffic loads exist.

Trains in the past carried most of our freight between the larger centres. Due to the deterioration in the railway systems over the past few years road transport has become more widely used and hence we today have thousands of large trucks carrying freight to all parts of the country on our roads.

A second problem started around 1990  when people  from all over  South Africa and the rest of Africa identified the city as a place to find work and  arrived in droves and settled on the Cape Flats where there was no housing,  very little infrastructure and no reliable public transport to get them to work.

Someone saw the transport  gap in the market and the mini bus taxi industry was born.

Over the years the minibus taxi industry has grown out of  its seams and there are today thousands of these minibus taxis on our roads.  To make matters worse these drivers are a law unto themselves and do not heed traffic lights, overload vehicles and don’t mind stopping in the middle of a busy road or intersection to pick up  passengers. Of course speed limits and traffic signs are there to be ignored as are red traffic lights.

In an effort to bring some order back onto the roads  and to clear some of the congestion caused by all the extra traffic the IRT system (integrated rapid transport system) was decided upon.

The objective of implementing the system is to get cars off our roads and to get people to use public transport.

The IRT system.

The aim of introducing Cape Town Integrated Rapid Transit System is to transform the public transport sector in the city and improve the public’s experience. The IRT plan will eventually integrate all modes of transport such as the Metrorail services,  road-based services on less important routes, bus services,  minibus taxis,  feeder bus services,  improved pedestrian and bicycle access,  metered taxi integration, and park-and-ride facilities.

The way the system will be introduced into Cape Town is by using a transport system known as the BRT or Bus Rapid Transport system.

The BRT system will be quick, comfortable, cost effective and have frequent operations along the dedicated routes they will follow. The idea is to provide excellent customer service which will cost less than using a car into the city and which will eventually persuade Cape Town’s motorists to use public transport instead of their cars.

By reducing the numbers of cars on our roads we will also reduce the carbon footprint of our city.

So how is this BRT system being implemented?

A completed section of the bus lane coloured red to the left of the cars. The bus lanes between Paddocks from where this photo is taken is more or less complete with just a few finishing touches needed

Dedicated bus lanes will provide the public with drastically reduced travel times as the buses will be able to move quickly during peak hours without the problems of having to negotiate traffic blockages caused by accidents and just too many cars on our roads.

Motorists sitting in their cars watching the buses whisk past them while they are stuck in a traffic jam will soon get the message that they can save a lot of time and money and frustration by using the BRT system.

Because the buses will be running in dedicated lanes they will use fuel more efficiently which will bring about a large saving and therefore reduce the bus fares to the public.

Construction ot he BRT lanes.

The bus lanes still have to be completed from near Zastron road to Paarden Eiland

A number of routes have been planned and construction is underway on them.

The route between the Bayside Mall near Table View and the city is going along at pace and should be completed by the time the World Cup is played in the city.  This was one of the laid down conditions of getting the World Cup in Cape Town. The route runs through Woodstock, Paarden Eiland and across the Salt River canal before it links to the R27 and heads north.

The next phase of this route will include areas such Du Noon, Atlantis and Mamre on the West Coast and will be built after the world cup.

Construction work includes a dedicated lane for cyclists.

Bus Stations

Bus station at Zastron Road still to be completed.

Bus stations along the 16km west coast route will have surveillance cameras, electronic information boards and security guards protecting them. The surveillance cameras  along the route will be monitored at a control room based in Goodwood.

The buses to be used in the BRT system have been ordered from Volvo  by the City of Cape Town and will start arriving in March 2010 in time to train drivers who have to be ready  for the World Cup.

Possible problems.

With the amount of work still to be done on the bus lanes will the work be finished by kickoff for the World Cup?

A drive along the route from Bayside to Milnerton today revealed that most of the bus lanes have been completed although there is still work to do on the stations and at intersections.

All the bus stations along the route are in the centre of the Otto du Plessis  Drive which is a double carriage highway.  How are people going to get to the bus stations without being knocked over especially during peak hour traffic periods?

As most of the bus stations are situated at busy intersections  I imagine that access to the stations  will be controlled by pedestrian crossings at the traffic lights.  Will traffic adhere to the lights and allow pedestrians to cross?

On the other hand will pedestrians wait for the lights to change or will they jaywalk across the busy highway to catch  a bus.

Some of the stations,  for example the one at the intersection of  Zastron Road and the  Otto du Plessis Drive  at present do not have traffic lights. Are they going to install lights at these intersections?

As the BRT system at present is limited to the Otto du Plessis Drive there is no way  for people to use public transport to get to the bus stations other than to use private cars .

There is  no parking for those who are willing to drive to a bus station along the Otto du Plessis and catch a bus into town.  Until parking near the stations is provided or feeder transport is introduced from the suburbs around Milnerton very few locals will be able to use the transport system.

Some more photos of the West coast route.

Bus station at Paddocks still to be completed.

Bus station and road in Paarden Eiland still to be completed.

Bus lanes near Boundary Road still have to be concreted.

Will we be ready for the world cup?

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