Johannesburg - On Thursday is the opening of the EcoMobility World Festival, which will see many Sandton streets restricted to traffic for a month.
Both concern and interest in this global event are being expressed by residents and motorists of Sandton as to what impact it will have on traffic congestion in the area.
The event is being organised by the City of Joburg, and many of Sandton’s roads will be partially closed to traffic until October 31.
The festival is part of the city’s plan to decongest traffic and to give preference to public transport, bicycles and pedestrians.
Getting around the Sandton CBD is going to be different during the festival - with new pedestrian zones, cycling lanes, public transport lanes, public transport resources and managed vehicle access being introduced on some streets.
“Having the right information will help Sandton’s street users to adapt to the changes and take part in this opportunity to find new, better and more environmentally respectful ways of getting around Sandton, as part of this global event,” city improvement district manager for the Sandton Central Management District (SCMD) Elaine Jack said.
To help the people who work, visit and live in Sandton to stay informed about the access during the festival, SCMD has been the medium of communication between the city and businesses in the Sandton CBD. It has facilitated communications over the past 10 months.
More recently, it provided simple, easy-to-understand information to help everyone get around the Sandton CBD during the festival on the website www.sandtoncentral.co.za, Twitter @SandtonCentral and on the Sandton Central Facebook page.
“Participation is free, so why not spend your Sunday morning doing something different; something that has the power to change the way you see the world?” asked the city’s mayoral committee member Christine Walters.
“Bring your friends, family, colleagues, sports team, church group and choirs, and don’t forget your dogs. It’s time to change the way you move! How? By embracing a sustainable future for transport, decongestion and safe streets for all; take a step (or a pedal) in the right direction,” she said.
There are many activities the whole week for the entire family, including small children. There will be jumping castles, food, and aerobics and gym sessions.
Local residents are invited to attend the official opening of the EcoMobility Festival on Sunday. The opening will be conducted by Joburg mayor Parks Tau, joined by Transport Minister Dipuo Peters, Gauteng Premier David Makhura and Tae-Young, the mayor of Suwon City in South Korea, where the first EcoMobility World Festival was held.
The EcoMobility World Exhibition will host more than 30 national and international exhibitors for a month-long interactive display of mobility and ecomobility.
On this day, called “Streets Alive #Jozi w r 1”, there will be a carnival-like atmosphere on the streets between Sandton and Alexandra which will be closed off to vehicles and opened to residents to walk, dance, skateboard or cycle.
Some of the high-profile technical experts who will take part in the EcoMobility Dialogues 2015 will focus on how cities can advance sustainable and low-carbon urban mobility.
Tau will also lead an international mayors’ EcoMobility Ride through the cordoned-off streets of Sandton to express the world municipal leaders’ support for cleaner and greener ways to commute.
All the events are free and open to the public.
Joburg is the second city to host the biennial EcoMobility World Festival. Suwon was the first, in 2013.
How the Gautrain will be affected
As road use will be limited on some of the streets in the Sandton central business district, there will be a controlled entrance to the Gautrain parking via West Street.
Gautrain airport passengers who prefer to access the Gautrain at Sandton station must consider the use of bus or taxi modes to Sandton station or alternatively must make an allowance of extra time to traverse through the controlled-access point on the corner of Rivonia and West streets to the station parking.
To assist Gautrain users during the EcoMobility initiative in October, the following adjustments to Gautrain services have been made:
* Additional eight-car train trips to depart from Hatfield station at 5.56am and 7.26am on weekdays.
* The weekday afternoon peak period - north and east-bound - has been extended and will start from 2.40pm (previously 3.30pm).
* Over weekends, the trains will operate at 20-minute service intervals from 9am to 6pm (changed from two trains to three trains an hour per direction).
* Additional express bus services, over and above the current Gautrain bus services, will be introduced to service certain park-and-ride sites at Montecasino, Brightwater Commons, Emperors Palace and Melrose Arch.
* Daily parking rates are R10 a day, but free at Brightwater Commons.
How to get around and what else you need to know
Q: Will Sandton be closed to vehicles?
A: No. Visitors will have full access to the Sandton central business district. However, there are streets that will have managed access. There will be no through routes on West and Maude streets. The section of Maude Street from West to Rivonia will be a one-way eastbound. Alice Lane, Gwen Lane and Maude Street between 5th and West streets will effectively be cul-de-sacs.
Q: What is the best way to get around in Sandton during the festival?
A: If you are bringing your vehicle to the area, plan your route. You can get all the information about the transport management plan at www.ecomobilityfestival.org However, the festival is all about placing emphasis on using public transport, walking and cycling as ways to move in and out of the CBD. So, in the spirit of the festival, it is a good time to embrace this unique and interesting opportunity to try new ways to move around Sandton.
Q: Will there be additional security on the streets?
A: The SAPS and Joburg metro police department are working closely with the City of Joburg to ensure that safety is a priority. There are also measures to improve the safety of walkways, cycle routes and public transport. New infrastructure will keep pedestrians and cyclists off the road at some points to improve their safety. Users are encouraged to travel in groups and during the daytime, if possible. There will be extra security at the park-and-rides that aren’t at shopping malls.
Q: How are the people who live far from Sandton supposed to integrate their travelling arrangements?
A: There are park-and-ride services being provided to link people to public transport and alternative transport into and out of Sandton.
Weekdays: For a R10 flat parking fee from 6am to 7pm, park-and-ride services will operate from Maponya Mall and Orlando Stadium in Soweto, Cresta Shopping Centre, Montecasino, Emperors Palace in Kempton Park, Melrose Arch, Westgate Shopping Centre, Randburg Square and Balfour Mall. For no charge, the park- and-ride service operates from Brightwater Commons from 6am to 7pm, and from 6am to 8pm the service will operate from George Lea Park, Marie Avenue City Power Servitude and Innesfree Park. Sandton City roof parking will also operate as a park-and-ride within the Sandton CBD, with a R10 flat parking fee.
Weekend events: Park-and-ride services will be available from George Lea Park, Marie Avenue Servitude, Innesfree Park, Randburg Square and Balfour Mall. See www.ecomobilityfestival.org for the latest on park-and-ride facilities, various rates and the types of transport that each facility links to.
Q: There’s a lack of proper public transport system in Sandton.
A: One of the aims of the EcoMobility World Festival is to give people a preview of a future transport system where public transport, walking and cycling become the modes of choice. For public transport during the festival, people can choose from Metrobus, the Gautrain, Gautrain buses and Putco buses as well as minibus taxis. Travelling from point to point within Sandton can be done on tuk-tuks, pedi-cabs, electric vehicles and metered taxis, including the Uber service. This will be supported by dedicated public transport lanes and dedicated cycling routes.
Q: Will there be marshals to ensure taxis don’t use the cycling lane?
A: Safe cycling routes will be in place next month. They will be clearly sign-posted. Marshals will be on duty to facilitate the traffic, and improved safety measures will be taken, especially at intersections.
Q: What will happen if the festival results in more congestion than usual?
A: It is likely that the first day of the festival won’t be business as usual, as people are faced with the changed road uses for the first time. However, the festival is essentially an experiment, so it will go on. If there are elements that don’t work, it will be a lesson for the city.
Q: Will private vehicles be allowed in Sandton?
A: Yes, private cars will still have access to all parking in Sandton on weekdays, but your trip may take longer and your travel route may be different. However, the city’s traffic engineers have indicated that if 30 percent of people coming into Sandton use park-and-rides, it will be a lot easier for those vehicle users who enter Sandton to get around.
Q: Will emergency services and law enforcement be able to move around freely?
A: Yes. In addition, the city has set up a joint ops committee together with police, emergency medical services and private security active in the area, so that, in the case of an emergency, everything that needs to be done can happen quickly. There will also be a much bigger than normal metro police deployment in the area, especially for the public transport loop and the managed access and lanes.
Q: Does anyone need to apply for permits?
A: No permits are required. At the entrances to roads that are being used differently, there will be managed access points where motorists will be advised about what to expect on a specific route, such as having to turn around because the road forms a temporary cul-de-sac.
Q: What vehicles will be allowed in the public transport lanes?
A: Vehicles with more than eight occupants - buses, minibus taxis, and some tourism and corporate shuttles.
Q: What does the city intend to achieve by having the EcoMobility World Festival in Sandton?
A: The city’s long-term vision is to turn Sandton inside out. Any CBD should have lots of street life. The city wants to enable a street culture and open up its streets.
Q: Where can I get more information?
At ecomobility.co.za
The Star