October 20, 2005
By Tammy O'Reilly
POLITICIANS heading today's Car Free Day campaign set the example by leaving their private vehicles at home and using public transport.
Car Free Day is a national initiative that seeks to encourage people to make use of public transport. Although there may not have been thousands of first-time public transport users clamouring to hop on board taxis, trains and buses, officials still made a big deal of the event.
Minister of Transport Jeff Radebe and Gauteng MEC for Public Transport, Roads and Works Ignatius Jacobs both began the day by taking taxis from their homes, and spent the rest of the day testing out the train and bus services.
Johannesburg executive mayor Amos Masondo gets into the spirit of Car Free Day, taking a bus into the office. October is Public Transport Month and one of the campaigns is today's Car Free Day. Private vehicle owners are encouraged to leave their cars at home and use buses, taxis and trains to get around
They were joined by a number of celebrities, including Afro-pop group Malaika, hip-hop singer Pitch Black Afro and television news presenter Xolani Gwala.
The politicians' main stop was Sammy Marks Square in Pretoria, where a programme of live entertainment and speeches detailing the government's motivation for the campaign was the order of the day.
Under the scorching Pretoria sun, hundreds of provincial and national government staff, decked out in bright orange T-shirts, gave pamphlets and promotional material to passersby. They were encouraged to stick around for the arrival of the delegates.
This coaxing was not in vain: by the time the minister arrived, hundreds of people had gathered at the square.
"Using public transport today may seem a mere gesture for us all. However, the point is being made that every day South Africans should think carefully about their need to take a car and whether they can catch a taxi, ride a bike or walk," Radebe said.
The government had several reasons for wanting to reduce the number of private vehicles on the roads.
"As government we want Car Free Day to be more than just a one-day break in a routine of traffic jams and poor air quality. We want this initiative to become part of the broader political project for sustainable cities.
"We are strengthening the link between awareness-raising and permanent policy measures to reduce traffic congestion on our roads," Radebe added.
In recent years major investments have been made to improve public transport. This year alone the government invested R2,7-billion in the improvement of rail and operation infrastructure, and deploying policing personnel at various stations across the country.
The minister said that over the next five years R7,7-billion would be invested in the taxi industry - the one mode of transport that had not been getting the attention it needed.
Alternate modes of transport were also being vigorously promoted and Radebe gave bicycles to 60 pupils from the Mabafeng Primary School in Atteridgeville, in Tshwane.
"We are very grateful for the support we have received for this campaign. Many people may be laughing at us but I just want to reiterate our commitment to making the country a cleaner place and making public transport safe, accessible and affordable for all," Jacobs said.
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