July 7, 2005
By Lucille Davie
WITH about 9 000 kilometres of surfaced roads and 2 000 kilometres of unsurfaced roads, the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) has its work cut out.
The city's rapid growth over the past five years has made it difficult for agencies like the JRA, responsible for the maintenance and development of the city's road network and storm water infrastructure, to keep up with demand.
Vusi Mkhonta, the executive manager of business strategy and development, says the JRA faces a number of challenges, particularly in the townships.
An estimated 760 kilometres of gravel roads have to be surfaced, while existing asphalt roads and storm water drainage need to be upgraded. In addition, lighting and pedestrian pavements are needed.
Accessibility also needs to be improved: key linkages between nodes like Randburg and Sandton, and economic nodes like City Deep and Sandton, need to be upgraded. Related to this is the management of increased car congestion along key corridors and nodes, and infrastructure development such as traffic signals, to improve traffic flow.
Another challenge is investing in infrastructure to support public transport, for example, dedicated lanes, bus stops and bus shelters.
Mkhonta says cutting the number of pedestrian accidents must be given higher priority. In addition, the increased problems faced with the storm water network, particularly regarding the rapid development of housing estates, needs attention.
Among his strategic objectives for 2005, he includes improving the quality of the JRA's assets; improving the mobility of traffic; enhancing the safety of road users; and improving customer satisfaction.
Budget has been approved for three Soweto projects, namely R21,3-million for the upgrading of Koma Road, R6,7-million for the north-south flagship project Regina Mundi to Parktown (widening the road for faster bus and taxi travel), and R3,5-million for paving pavements in the township.
Mkhonta says the JRA is under-funded. A bench-marking study done by the agency, comparing Joburg to six other developing country cities, like Cairo and Budapest, found that the amount spent on Joburg's roads was far below that spent by these cities.
An indication of this is taken from the fact that in Joburg the average travel speed in peak traffic is 38kph, compared with 50kph in other cities. This shows there are many more cars on Joburg's roads, slowing the traffic.
Possible sources of funding for JRA projects include allocations from the City budget; private-public partnerships; area taxes (charging trucks); parking levies; tolling; congestion charges; and sale of asphalt and advertising.
Looking at some major achievements to date, Mkhonta includes the tarring of 232 kilometres of roads in Soweto over the past three years; R74-million of assets taken over by the JRA from developers; the completion of the M2 link between Cleveland and City Deep Inland Port; the installation of calming points at 40 schools, so enhancing pedestrian safety; and the installation of 226 new traffic signal controllers.
Executive Mayor Councillor Amos Masondo, in his May budget speech, said the JRA capital allocation was R261-million, while its operating budget was R391-million, with assets worth R27,1-billion.
To look at this in another way, it costs R1,6-million per kilometre to lay a township road with drainage. The cost jumps to R10,9-million a kilometre to lay an arterial road, like Koma Road in Soweto, with two lanes on either side, a shoulder and drains.
To build a motorway with two lanes on either side and shoulders costs R18,3-million per kilometre.
Mkhonta concludes, "We have done our best to fulfil our mandate."
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