Pretoria – Commuting to work by bus will soon be less stressful and more convenient for residents living in Ekurhuleni, thanks to the new Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system.
Delivering his State of the City Address on Wednesday, Ekurhuleni Mayor Mondli Gungubele said construction of the municipality's own Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system is due to start in April.
“In order to roll out the BRT, we first have to rollout the enabling infrastructure on which the buses will run, as well as infrastructure that supports movement to and from the Integrated Rapid Public Transport Network (IRPTN). We have thus far prepared the road designs for Phase 1,” said Mayor Gungubele.
He said road construction has started along the Rev RTJ Namane Road in Tembisa, as well as Pretoria Road in Kempton Park, where they are implementing the feeder or complementary routes, pedestrian walkways as well as cyclist paths.
“Construction of the feeder routes in Vosloorus is scheduled to start in April, while construction of the trunk route starting at the Tembisa Civic Centre towards Kempton Park will start in May 2014,” he said.
What this meant, Mayor Gungubele said, was that IRPTN construction work in Ekurhuleni will be in full swing by June 2014, where most of the road sections will be under construction.
“As demonstrated by the construction of Non-Motorised Transport infrastructure such as pedestrian walkways on Pretoria Road in Kempton Park, Tembisa North, as well as Rondebult Road in Vosloorus, it is important to note that our IRPTN is not just about buses.”
Over and above the IRPTN infrastructure, the Mayor said, they are engaged in processes to ensure that all Public Transport Operators in Ekurhuleni are brought on board.
Taxi operators in the area had previously protested against the implementation of the BRT.
“We have already begun implementing provisions of the MOU signed with the representative structure of all in Ekurhuleni, including the taxi industry and bus operators.
“The MOU is further testimony to the firm view we hold, that Public Transport Operators in Ekurhuleni constitute an integral part of our IRPTN project.”
He said the municipality was on course to operate the BRT by 2016. – SAnews.gov.za
