Keeping cars out to curb gridlock

CAPE Town should take a proverbial feather out of Pretoria’s cap if the capital city decides to ban cars in certain areas. Traffic in Cape Town is beyond a nightmare as it has now reached a point where we have to endure bumper to bumper traffic on our highways throughout the day, everyday.

Banning cars in certain areas will bring relief to motorists, businesses and the public at large.

The matter was raised during the African Capital Cities Sustainability Week Forum hosted in Pretoria and attended by mayors and other local government leaders from across the continent.

In outlining the proposal, the City of Tshwane spoke of introducing a car-free week.

Cape Town should do this too as it will encourage people to leave their cars at home and use public transport or pool cars. In addition to reducing carbon emissions, the no-car zones will no doubt become popular hangout spots.

The possible change to Pretoria’s spatial planning will be in line with the Department of Transport’s strategy for metropolitan cities in SA to prohibit the use of private vehicles in some areas.

People will no longer have to sit in traffic for hours and then spend time looking for parking.

Car-free day and using high occupancy vehicles or pool cars will be implemented during Transport Month in Pretoria in October. The initiative had been undertaken during Transport Month in 2006 and 2007, but has not been heard of since.

If car-free day on October 20 is promoted and properly sustained, it will become part of people’s lives. No longer shall the concept of a car-free day, so successful abroad, be foreign to SA.

Here, many of us still believe that the best way to get around is to hop into a car and drive.

If Pretoria leads the way to introduce car-free week, there is nothing stopping Cape Town, and the rest of the country, from following suit.

However, there are other aspects it requires to succeed, such as the provision of adequate parking.

Reliable public transport and security are vital too. Otherwise simply banning cars in one part of a city, will result in congestion somewhere else.

Getting cars off our roads needs a strategic approach to foster an outcome that goes way beyond a month-long event.