Motorists will be told which lane to use via boards set up on the MI

RELATED LINKS: History of transport explored TRANSPORT in the struggle, which looks at the history of transport in Johannesburg, is another Public Transport Month initiative. Read more Riding in the bus lane THE dedicated drivers at Metrobus say they love their jobs, especially when their buses are full. Perhaps it's time to take a bus to work; it is, after all, Public Transport Month. Read more Silently teaching road safety MIMES joined Pedestrian Angel in a safety blitz at one of the city centre's busiest intersections, bringing road safety to the attention of drivers and pedestrians. Read more Children welcome transport mascot SCHOOLCHILDREN named the department of transport's new mascot, designed to teach road safety to pedestrians. Read more New ways to beat the traffic IDEAS on how to cut traffic congestion, from bikes to buses to lift clubs, were discussed at the Public Transport Month Dialogue. Read more

HOV lane to be set up on M1 North A lane will be set aside in peak morning traffic for cars that have more than three passengers, as part of Public Transport Month. October 12, 2007 By George Matlala A DEDICATED lane will be set aside during peak traffic times on the M1 North as part of a scheme to cut congestion on the roads. The Gauteng department of public transport, roads and works and the City of Johannesburg have announced that a high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane will be set up on the M1 between Southgate Mall and the Crown Interchange from Monday, 15 October to Friday, 19 October. It will operate between 6am and 9am. The project forms part of the government's Public Transport Month, during which people are encouraged to use public transport to cut congestion on the road and fight global warming by reducing exhaust emissions. An HOV lane is a dedicated lane set aside during peak traffic hours for vehicles with three or more occupants. "This will be in the right-hand lane, or the so-called fast lane of the freeway," says Alfred Nhlapo, a spokesperson in the Gauteng's transport department. Motorists will be told which lane to use via boards set up on the MI. "There is going to be temporary road signage and screens on the road to inform motorists." The initiative is meant to cut down on traffic congestion Only motorists intending to use the off ramp at Selby or those taking the M2 East should use the lane. "High occupancy vehicles intending to take the off ramps at Xavier and Booysens roads are advised not to use the HOV lane, since this might worsen the traffic." Last October an HOV lane was piloted on the N1 highway between Johannesburg and Tshwane. The main aim of the project is to cut down traffic congestion on the country's busy highways, which has a negative effect on the economy, he notes. Getting into cities is becoming increasingly difficult and time-consuming, resulting in billions of rands being lost. "This also prevents people, goods and services from reaching their destinations on time." Ignatius Jacobs, the Gauteng MEC for transport, has called on people to participate in Public Transport Month by using public transport or having lift sharing in private vehicles. Speaking at the launch of Public Transport Month on 1 October, Jacobs noted that access to major cities was an important factor in driving economic activity. The department will host a car free day concert on Saturday, 20 October; the line-up will be announced soon. Permission to use web site material Publishers may use material from this site free of charge, as long as: Credit is given to either the "City of Johannesburg website (www.joburg.org.za)" or to "Johannesburg News Agency (www.joburg.org.za)"; If the article is used online, a link is provided to the original article on this website; The name of the article's author is acknowledged; The webmaster is informed of how and where the material is used (fill in this brief online form). Johannesburg News Agency is operated by BIG Media at 011-484-1400 Print this Page E-mail this article to a friend Help using Joburg.org.za