Going ecomobile in Sandton

The month-long international EcoMobility Festival in Sandton was just one step in a series of initiatives planned to make Johannesburg transport more environmentally friendly

When Sandton motorists, long frustrated by daily gridlock in the Sandton CBD first heard heard plans to block certain streets to commuter traffic, there were mixed responses. Most recognised the need to do something to reduce the congestion that occasionally saw motorists taking almost an hour to navigate 3km through Sandton at peak hours.

On the other hand, the road closures and directional changes were likely to push gridlock further into the surrounding suburbs, said many. They appear to have been right. Twitter feeds slammed the additional traffic jams on major Sandton feeder roads.

However, while there was a perception that traffic was slowed in every direction approaching Sandton, navigation and mapping experts TomTom say an in-depth analysis would have to be done t o d e t e r mi n e whether this was in fact the case. Because not all TomTom devices are live, it will take some months to gather all the data from all devices used i n the area to assess how traffic patterns changed as a result of the road changes, says the company.

Whether EcoMobility is proving popular or not, executive mayor Mpho Parks Tau urged those working and shopping in Sandton to embrace the effort to decongest Sandton, noting that over 100 000 people travel in and out of Sandton daily.

With more company headquarters being built in South Africa’s “richest square mile”, the traffic problem would steadily grow worse unless measures were taken to change the way people move through the area, he said. The mayor set an example by taking public transport and cycling through the area at a Streets Alive event staged as part of EcoMobility month.

Commuters using the park and ride facilities, the Gautrain, Metrobus, Rea Vaya and even tuk-tuks to get around Sandton for the first time commented that it was less onerous than they’d thought. Plus, walk- ing the last half a kilometre to their offices was giving them a welcome bit of extra exercise. Two weeks into EcoMobility month, motorists were slowly coming to terms with the changes and the city was cautiously optimistic about the initiative’s success.

Despite the installation of new cycling lanes in Sandton, few commuters moved to cycling to work, however, citing a lack of showers at the office, and the risk of cycling through suburbs that have no cycling lanes in order to get to Sandton. The City of Johannesburg, having already spent billions of rands on BRT system projects, cycle lanes and pedestrian walkways, says cycling arteries throughout suburbs are envisaged as part of its big picture commuter transport plans over the next few years.

These plans also include a great walk route to be installed from Sandton to Alexandra, better pedestrian facilities and more public transport.