May 21, 2007
By Neil Fraser
FIRST it was the Shilowa Express; now it's the Mashatile Malaysian Monorail, or is it Jacobs' Junket?
At the Mayoral Inner City Summit on 5 May, Executive Mayor Amos Masondo said the following about transportation: "We are one of very few municipalities that have a comprehensive transport policy in place. The City's approach is informed by the Integrated Transportation Plan.
"In addition, the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) [programme] will be integrated into the broader transport system with feeder routes being serviced by minibuses and taxis that will link to the Gautrain network. Our objective is to move at least 10 percent of the City's commuters from private vehicles on to the public transport network."
Well our "comprehensive transport policy" looks like it's gone out of the window.
I really don't know about the provincial government. First, we had the debacle of the Gauteng provincial government precinct (GPGP), an ill-conceived and far-reaching plan hatched with no prior consultation with the City government, and aspects of which would have negatively affected the inner city. A joint effort between the local and provincial governments could have provided the city with a real asset.
We still have the debacle of the Rissik Street Post Office. Sold some years back to the provincial legislature for conversion into offices, but to date it is untouched and is being allowed to implode on itself - demolition by dereliction. The plastic sheeting that has wrapped the clock tower for the past few years to prevent water penetration is torn and increasingly looks like a giant spent condom.
My latest information is that the legislature no longer needs the building so it is now under consideration as a location for the premier's office. If the City council had proceeded with private sector developers the project would have been long completed and already adding to the economic life of the city.
Monorail
And now it's a R12-billion monorail that will run through Soweto from Protea to the Bree Street taxi rank to be built, financed and operated by a little known Malaysian consortium. The year-long feasibility study, "had been kept secret until now to prevent any escalation in the price of land, among others", according to a newspaper.
That, of course, was the reason given for the secrecy that surrounded the GPGP and now the Gauteng government sits with a bunch of buildings it would prefer not to own and for which the taxpayers paid. The national Department of Transport says it had no prior knowledge of the monorail initiative and the City council has been waiting for a presentation for some months.
On the surface the monorail initiative looks like a brilliant solution to the problem of getting a large number of people in the south to the inner city quickly and efficiently. It also would have a positive effect by reducing the numbers of vehicles using the roads.
The good news
Given the rapid deterioration of road surfaces and overstressed road network, the continuing taxi recapitalisation debacle and the pathetic bus and rail services, this should be good news - but is it?
Firstly, as I read it, it completely overrides all the planning, which is at a very advanced stage, for a comprehensive integrated transport system connecting the south not just to the inner city but also to the areas beyond it. Looking at the route diagram in the newspaper, it either replaces or totally duplicates the southern section of four planned BRT routes - Lenasia to Sunninghill; Dobsonville to Jeppestown; Nasrec to Ellis Park; and Regina Mundi to Alexandra.
As the mayor said at the summit, we did have an Integrated Transport Plan which surely must have been approved by the central and provincial government transportation authorities; and now, in one fell swoop, it lies in tatters.
The bus rapid transit approach would have resulted in upgrading the previously approved Strategic Public Transport Network (SPTN) into a higher-quality public transport system than was previously considered.
The council's November 2006 document that sets out the rationale for the BRT points out that "In many respects, the proposal is not a major departure from the original design and objectives of the SPTN. The principal project addition is to upgrade the quality and performance level to that of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT).
"BRT is simply the idea of creating a rail-like performance using road-based technologies that are affordable to most cities. Much of the design and operational studies completed to date on SPTN are transferable to the upgraded system."
Rea Vaya
The objective of the BRT proposal, known as Rea Vaya, was "to improve the quality of life of Johannesburg citizens through the provision of a high-quality and affordable public transport system".
The long-term vision was to develop a relatively low-cost system that would place over 85 percent of Johannesburg's population within 500 metres of a Rea Vaya trunk or feeder corridor.
What will be the effect of a monorail imposed on this system? Aren't we going to end up with having to integrate a number of widely divergent transportation systems? Will BRT still work if it is only serving the north of the metropole or will it duplicate what will now be provided by the monorail in the south?
Costs
Secondly, there is the cost. The entire BRT initiative of 148 kilometres was to have cost R2-billion - I make that R13,5-million a kilometre. The monorail appears to be about 45 kilometres at a cost of R12-billion, or nearly R270-million a kilometre.
Why not spend the R2-billion on a perfectly acceptable solution and get our existing rail system working properly instead of the poor excuse it currently provides?
Thirdly, time is a concern. Personally, I have had my doubts about just how much BRT would have been implemented by 2010. However, according to the research behind the BRT proposals, Rea Vaya was one of the few options that could deliver a superior public transport service in time for the 2010 Fifa World CupTM.
Phase One of Rea Vaya would evidently have required one year of planning and approximately one year of construction. So the milestones were:
- Completed planning by September 2007;
- Secured finance by January 2008; and
- Operations initiated by April 2009.
In fact, Rea Vaya was scheduled to be inaugurated two months before the start of the Confederations Cup in April 2009. The system would then have over one year of tested operation before the start of the world cup in June 2010.
Now it's a R12-billion monorail constructed, tested and in operation by 2010. A period of 30 months would result in an average monthly spend of R400-million – and that at a time when the entire construction industry is dramatically overheated and when there is a dire shortage of cement and steel. I think not.
Taxi industry
Fourthly, there is its effect on the taxi industry. It is interesting that the MEC claimed to have consulted fully with the taxi industry, while the South African National Council expressed "shock" that it was reported to have endorsed the project.
I must say that even with all its many faults, including issues of safety and disruptive road usage, the taxi industry provides a great deal of employment and opportunities for investment and ownership. I personally think that the industry is treated shabbily by the government.
During the stakeholder working group sessions leading to the Inner City Summit, taxi industry representatives expressed concern about effect of Rea Vaya on their industry. It would clearly affect the industry, as any more efficient alternative to taxis would.
However, I would anticipate, from the usage figures that have been quoted, that a monorail would effectively wipe out a large percentage of the local taxi industry providing no alternative for employment. On the other hand, the media reports that a return fare Soweto-Inner City would be R10, which is substantially less than a current taxi return fare.
The BRT report appears to be sensitive to the taxi issue:
"The BRT proposal encompasses the same SPTN flagship corridors already articulated in the City's Integrated Transport Plan (ITP). In order to further strengthen the financial viability of the new system as well as to permit a more complete engagement of the minibus-taxi industry, this study recommends the addition of several new routes to the project's first phase.
"Specifically, the Rea Vaya proposal calls for a total of 94 kilometres of trunk corridors encompassing a total routing length of approximately 148 kilometres. Seven routes have been selected in order to give the customer maximum flexibility with a minimum of cumbersome transfer."
Finally, can anyone tell me how the government, in terms of its own overly stringent legislated requirements regarding supply chain management, can secretly negotiate this size deal with a single vendor?
The answer given is that there is no public money involved so the rules don't apply. But surely the fare to be charged must relate to the cost of the initiative and therefore a competitive bid would have been in the interests of commuters. And surely the provincial government can't take decisions regarding the use of City council land?
There are too many unanswered questions merely to accept this as an "answer to a commuter's prayer".
I just can't help wondering what the provincial government has been smoking!
Inner City Summit commitments
I was going to summarise the Inner City Regeneration Charter issues but the monorail blew that away, so here are just some of the proposed programmes and initiatives highlighted by Masondo at the summit.
New structures and improved urban management
"By urban management we mean the proper management and maintenance of the public environment. We have realised that we can't just assume that the work of Pikitup, Joburg Water, the Johannesburg metro police department, our environmental health officers and building control will somehow just come together by themselves to make for a clean and orderly inner city.
"We need more than the sum total of the parts. Over the next year we will put up a structure and a relevant mechanism in Region F for this purpose."
Public environment upgrading
"We aim to replicate the work that we have done in Braamfontein across the inner city within the next five years. To kickstart this programme we are committing R100-million of public environment upgrade funds over the next five years.
"We trust that this will leverage equally large contributions from the private sector. Together we will completely upgrade all pavements, put in place decent streetlights, plant trees, build decent street furniture, install waste bins, develop public conveniences and upgrade available plots into new mini-parks and public-spaces."
Waste management and collection
"We are finalising plans to significantly improve regular everyday waste management and collection in the inner city. To ensure the full implementation of these plans we have devoted almost R100-million in operating subsidy to Pikitup in the coming financial year."
CCTV
"The inner city will be fully covered with CCTV cameras within the next five years. As a first step in this direction we commit to doubling the number of CCTV cameras in the inner city by the end of this year. This will bring the number of cameras to 216. We are also working to link this system up with private sector systems."
Residential accommodation
"We aim to address the crisis in residential accommodation in two ways. First, we are already working on a first phase housing plan for the inner city that will be released publicly in July this year. A second phase operational plan will be ready by the end of 2007. Following this plan we aim to see the development of some 50 000 new residential units before 2015. Many of these, of course, will cater for middle- and upper-income residents. We will also develop emergency, transitional and social housing at scale.
"National and provincial government policy is strongly in support of the new concept of inclusionary housing. We will be working with the national and provincial governments to promote this idea in the inner city. We will also be working with developers to incentivise this form of development, which is becoming the norm in many cities around the world, so that many of our inner city buildings become vibrant mixed-income communities in and of themselves.
"We know that desirable residential neighbourhoods don't only depend on good accommodation. They need all those other things that allow residents to exercise a sense of community. Over the next few years we will completely refurbish all swimming pools, sports fields and community sport centres."
Transportation
I quoted this earlier.
Informal trading
"One of the critical issues facing parts of the inner city is unmanaged street trading or micro-retailing. The City regards informal trading as an important and integral part of our broader economy. It is the City's view that informal trading, as is the case in many countries and cities in the world, should be legally controlled and properly managed. Trading should occur only in those areas that are suitably designated for this particular purpose.
"This council is encouraging groups and individuals to be involved in income-generating activities. Street trading constitutes part of this. The Growth and Development Strategy, our long-term plan in this municipality, as adopted in May 2006, recognises this fact and encourages this type of productive activity.
"Our policy is based on the development of informal trading as a strong economic sub-sector, which, if developed, can robustly add to the City's growth and employment.
"The City's Informal Trading Development Programme envisages that trading should take place in markets, stalls and other demarcated spaces."
Well, if we accomplish just these six issues and get some resolution on the transportation issue, we will have advanced the state of the inner city dramatically.
Cheers, Neil
PS: At about noon on Wednesday, 16 May the hard drive of my laptop turned up its toes, passed away, crashed, died. If you had emailed me for copies of the charter and have not received them, it's because your request is now in the same place that computers go when they expire. Please email me again.
Parktown and Westcliff Heritage Trust
There are a number of walking or bus tours planned by the trust. The costs below are for members and non-members respectively. Bookings can be made through Computicket on 011 340 8000 or on the Computicket website.
For more information, phone 011 482 3349, in the mornings only.
Saturday, 2 June: Yeoville Art Deco and Art Moderne; meet at 2pm at St Francis Catholic Church, 43 Cavendish Road, Yeoville, for this walking tour. It lasts about two-and-a-half hours and costs R50 and R70.
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