Mobility
(a) What role is his Department playing in promoting sustainable modes of transport, such as cycling and walking, in the province, (b) what has been the impact of these initiatives and (c) how much has been spent thus far on these initiatives?
- Through the Provincial Sustainable Transport Programme (PSTP), the Department has worked with local municipalities to improve non-motorised transport in the Western Cape by supporting the development of better, safer infrastructure, the distribution of bicycles and the provision of affordable public transport alternatives for those who currently walk too far. Since 2016, the Department has facilitated and funded the planning, design and implementation of several NMT infrastructure projects in several municipalities, including Stellenbosch, Overstrand, Swartland and Breede Valley. Non-motorised Transport Masterplans were completed for Swartland and Overstrand Municipalities in the 2019/20 financial year. These plans include an investment strategy to ensure a structured approach to NMT improvements.
The Bicycle Distribution Project (BDP) of the Provincial Sustainable Transport Programme (PSTP) was initiated in November 2019. This project aims to support the PSTP with its objective to improve transport, and specifically non-motorised transport (NMT) and the safety of roads and communities in the Western Cape. The key objective of the project is to create access to bicycles for those who would not normally be in a position to afford them.
However, the objectives of the project, go well beyond simply providing access to bicycles. The intention of the BDP is to provide a comprehensive end-to-end programmatic approach to bicycle distributions including pre-, mid-, and post-distribution activities covering areas such as community engagement, targeting, safety training, maintenance training, the distribution event itself, bike handover, monitoring and evaluation, and impact tracking.
The BDP has supported a wide range of mobility projects across a range of sectors. These mobility projects fall in a wide range of different categories including scholar mobility, small and micro-enterprises, community safety initiatives, recreational users, disaster relief initiatives and environmental projects. A key tenet of the BDP is a “whole-of-government” approach, working collaboratively with other Departments and local municipalities.
Education, NMT advocacy, awareness and pedestrian safety are key elements in promoting sustainable modes of transport. Just last week the Department commemorated the United Nations Global Road Safety Week (UNGRSW) held from the 15 to 21 May with a series of road safety activities, including road safety talks, learner transport interventions, monitoring of Participatory Education Techniques (PET) education projects, picketing with road safety messages and commuter safety education.
The World Health Organisation’s (WHO) theme for the 7th edition of the UNGRSW is Rethinking Mobility, with the focus on a shift to walking, cycling, and using public transport, and doing so safely.
The Department will continue to support NMT initiatives this financial year with the following planned works:
- Priority NMT design development works in the Overstrand Municipality
- The construction of pedestrian safety improvements at the Pioneer School for the Blind in the Breede Valley Municipality
- The distribution of 400 bicycles into various mobility programmes across the province as part of the PSTP’s BDP programme
- The distribution of 300 bicycles into the Central Karoo Education District as part of the National Department of Transports Shova Kalula programme
- Two Bicycle Open Days to promote commuter cycling and create awareness
- An e-cargo bicycle pilot to assist waste-pickers and recyclers
- Improved pedestrian and cycling awareness, safety and advocacy
- The impact of these initiatives include the following:
Walking and cycling are affordable forms of transportation and of the truly sustainable modes that exist. Many studies have shown that support for and investment in pedestrian and cycling infrastructure results in economic benefits for individuals, businesses, and communities. These benefits are also linked to other areas related to health, safety, the environment, and more.
Some of the impacts to our communities are:
- Safer pedestrian routes along major desire lines
- Universal Accessibility incorporated into all NMT designs
- Increased perception of safety
- Improved and more efficient patrolling by NHW’s, cover more space in less time on a bicycle than walking
- Small business support from grocery deliveries, to township cycling hubs and community coffee shops
- Bicycles were used during Covid to deliver medicines where ambulances could not go
- Bicycles used to motivate school children and incentivise them to attain good attendance records and grades
Specifically for the bicycle distribution programme, recipient organisations were asked to reflect on the impact that the distributed bicycles had on their organisations and activities. Their responses are summarised in the graph below.
- The budget for NMT related works this financial year can be broken down as follows:
Breakdown of Mobility Improvement Budget for Current Financial Year | Sum of Budget to |
NMT, PT Infra, Traffic & Transport Planning and Design | R3,550,000.00 |
Pioneer School for the Blind | R3,500,000.00 |
PSTP Bicycle Distribution | R3,462,000.00 |
Shova Kalula Bicycle Distribution | R500,000.00 |
Grand Total | R11,012,000.00 |
