Johannesburg - The Ecomobility World Festival, which is due to be held in Sandton in October, is a bold step that will see the closure of roads in a major commercial precinct.
But it is the most effective way to draw attention to the long-term dangers associated with urban congestion and, more importantly, to show than an alternative future is possible, said Johannesburg mayor Parks Tau at the launch of the festival.
During October, residents, visitors and workers will have full access to Sandton but will have to use public transport - buses, minibus taxis and the Gautrain - to move in and out of the CBD.
“It’s important to reclaim our streets,” said Tau. “The time has come for those who live, work and play in the city to come out from the concrete walls to enjoy the streets.”
To achieve this and reassure people that the streets are safe, the city is extending its intelligence camera network, and setting up an intelligence operations centre to better monitor, prevent and respond speedily to incidents on the street.
‘SANDTON WOULD GRIND TO A HALT’
Tau said about 96 000 vehicles entered Sandton between 7.30am and 8.30am every day, and of those, 70 percent were private vehicles. With the figure increasing by 3.4 percent a year, the Sandton CBD would grind to a halt if people didn’t start using public transport, he added.
The festival will give the people of Johannesburg a preview of what the streets of a future Sandton and the rest of the city could look like with decongested traffic.
The festival is being hosted by the City of Johannesburg in partnership with the Local Governments for Sustainability, known as ICLEI, which is the world’s leading network of more than 1000 cities and towns in 86 countries, all committed to building a sustainable future for people who live in them.
Some 80 meetings were held with interested and affected parties in Sandton and Alexandra about the closure of the Sandton CBD.
“We acknowledge that it will result in certain disruptions to people’s regular schedules, especially in the first few days,” said Tau, “but we are working hard to ensure this does not lead to dysfunctionality.”
During the event, there will be family recreational activities, exhibitions and dialogues on urban mobility, among many other things. Experts and decision-makers from throughout the world will speak on ecomobility and sustainable urban transport systems.
The Star