The City of Cape Town Mayoral Committee member for Urban Mobility, councillor Rob Quintas, has highlighted plans aimed at creating pedestrian-centric and cycle-friendly transport corridors for those making use of public transport.
‘I want to encourage Capetonians and my fellow colleagues to give pedestrian and cycle routes a try wherever these are. Also, if you have access to the MyCiTi, MiniBus Taxis or Golden Arrow Bus Services make use of these modes of public transport.
“Our vision is for Cape Town to become less car-centred and more orientated towards catering for pedestrians, cyclists and commuters making use of public transport,” said Quintas.
The city said its approach to integrated transport is multi-modal. The key modes are passenger rail, bus rapid transit (BRT), quality bus services and minibus taxis.
Together, these modes contribute to an integrated transport solution, and are to be complemented by improved facilities for pedestrians, cyclists, and people with special needs in terms of universal access, commonly referred to as Non-Motorised Transport (NMT) infrastructure and facilities, said Quintas.
‘The City’s fast-developing NMT routes can be found along streets, major roads and greenbelts across Cape Town including areas such as the central city, Khayelitsha, Kraaifontein and between the CBD and Melkbos area. Phase four of the city-wide NMT programme is currently underway.”
Areas in the north, south, east and central regions of Cape Town have been prioritised for NMT improvements. The city has developed separate, high-quality cycling paths alongside the MyCiTi bus routes.
“We are also incorporating universally accessible NMT infrastructure and facilities in all our new project plans including with the roll-out of the MyCiTi service to the metro-south east,” said Quintas.
Three projects have been prioritised per region, these include:
Central Region:
- Kensington, Factreton and Maitland areas: 25 km of NMT improvements
- Pinelands and Thornton areas Viking Way from Jakes Gerwel to Forest Drive: 25 km of NMT improvements
- Main Road in the Salt River, Woodstock and Observatory areas: 8.5 km of NMT improvements
North Region:
- Old Paarl Road and Frans Conradie Drive, including Suikerbos Street , in the Brackenfell, Bellville, Parow and Goodwood areas: 18.6 km of NMT improvements
- Robert Sobukwe Road from Valhala Drive to Peter Barlow Drive, in Elsies River to Bellville areas: 9.3 km of NMT improvements
- Halt Road and Owen Road in the Elsies River area: 18 km of NMT improvements
South Region:
- Hanover Park area: 12.5 km of NMT improvements
- Heideveld area: 6 km of NMT improvements
- Klipfontein Road in the Gugulethu area: 8.9km of NMT improvements
East Region:
- Khayelitsha area: 30 km of NMT improvements
- Mitchells Plain area: 26 km of NMT improvements
- Spine Road, in Mitchells Plain area and Old Strandfontein areas: 10 km of NMT improvements
The types of NMT improvements that form part of these projects include:
- Implementation of new sidewalks and cycle paths
- Widening of existing facilities
- Upgrades to existing facilities
- Universal Access improvements such as dropped kerbs and tactile paving
- Installation of lighting
The NMT routes are placed around the public transport networks for easy access and connections to our buses and trains. Some of the criteria for the prioritisation of these routes include:
- Routes with high pedestrian and cycle usage.
- Routes that provide access to public transport services and facilities.
- Routes that provide access to public facilities (schools, health facilities, etc.).
- Routes that provide access to employment and retail areas.
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