Durban rethinks one-way streets

File picture: Sibusiso Ndlovu / Independent Media.

File picture: Sibusiso Ndlovu / Independent Media.

Published Aug 24, 2016

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Durban - Thoughts are afoot to get rid of some of Durban’s one-way streets, including the busy main roads through the central business district.

Another proposal is to offer investors in big city buildings reduced rates if they keep their precincts clean.

These are among the long-term proposals in the pipeline - and still to be approved by the eThekwini Municipality under its Integrated Inner City Local Area Plan and Regeneration vision to 2040.

City officials have been busy explaining the plans to the business community and have held more than 50 meetings and workshops.

The project and the focus on the inner city was felt necessary because the UN had estimated that 71.3% of the population would be living in urban areas by 2030 and 80% would be urbanised by 2050.

Some of the proposals were outlined to members of the Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s Tourism Business Forum on Tuesday by Zakhi Mkhize, the Inner City Local Area Plan project manager, who said the current transport network in the city did not promote growth.

The one-way system meant businesses on the opposite side of the road to the flow of vehicles “were dead”.

“We need to reconfigure the existing streets,” she told the tourism forum, explaining later that the plan included getting rid of “a lot” of one-way street systems.

These included Dr Pixley KaSeme (West) Street, Anton Lembede (Smith) Street and Dr Yusuf Dadoo (Grey and Broad) Street.

She said most people in the audience did not use public transport because they felt it was not safe, not reliable and it was not promoted.

The plan was to make public transport more user-friendly and eventually, to create a fast rail link between King Shaka International Airport and the city.

The idea was that by 2040, the inner-city of Durban would be Africa’s leading, most vibrant, liveable, walkable and financially sustainable city centre, providing economic, residential, sporting and leisure opportunities for all, Mkhize said.

It would also be safe, caring, connected, integrated, inclusive and unlike much of it now, it would not go to sleep at 6pm.

“Cool city”

The plan envisaged people cycling, walking and using public transport in the same safe and secure streets, while enjoying music there in the evenings.

Durban would also become a cool city, as there were plans to plant trees to keep the beating sun off pedestrians as they walked in shaded, attractive pavements.

People did not like to walk in such places as Dr Pixley KaSeme (West) Street because they did not feel safe, while informal traders in the street were “killing” the formal stores, Mkhize said.

“These are some of the issues that need to be resolved,” she said.

There were activities going on in the city that did not generate rates at the moment, she pointed out.

The city needed to attract more investment and had to ensure it had the infrastructure to make it a pleasant environment for tourists and local people.

No investor wanted to invest in a dirty, smelly town where dumping went on, she said, adding that it was possible to “make a business” out of the waste and to generate an income.

The plan, if fully developed, envisages that by 2040, the inner city will have a potential population of 450 000, including the existing population, with 250 000 jobs created, including the existing ones.

*People can tell the city about their own ideas for the Durban of the future, and also make comments by sending them to: [email protected]

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