Photo by: Duane Daws
The City of Johannesburg will go ahead with plans to roll out bicycle lanes in and around Sandton, despite having the R70-million budget reallocated for projects in the adjacent Alexandra township.
Newly elected mayor Herman Mashaba had noted that the funds would be reallocated, which caused confusion among affiliated organisations, such as the Sandton Central Management District (SCMD).
City of Johannesburg transport executive director Lisa Seftel has explained, however, that lanes from Alex No 3 Square to Sandton Central were still going ahead, including several routes within Sandton Central itself, such as parts of Maude and West streets.
She also confirmed that construction of the pedestrian and cycling bridge from Alexandra to Sandton were continuing, except for the section over the M1 highway, which is pending Department of Labour approval, as the investigation into last year’s scaffolding collapse is ongoing.
The Johannesburg Development Agency also advised that improved mobility and pedestrian safety would continue along a route between Sandton and Rosebank, although this route has yet to be finalised. This decision is expected by mid-2017.
In the meantime, cycling in Sandton Central is becoming more and more commonplace.
An electric bicycle share pilot project, with 20 bikes set up at two Sandton Central sites by Growthpoint Properties and GreenCycles, has reached a landmark 1 000 bike trips in a five-month period.
Based on the success of the project, Growthpoint and GreenCycles have committed to keeping the project running for at least a year, to facilitate the growth of this catalyst project.
“With this innovative initiative, a greater cycling culture is being created in Sandton. Cycling is a healthy, more affordable and more environment-friendly way of getting around,” said SCMD city improvement district manager Elaine Jack.
She pointed out that, besides the environmental benefits of cycling as opposed to driving a car, the e-bike charging stations in Sandton Central were solar powered. Plus, the robust e-bikes are well suited to the hilly topography of Sandton.
“Bike share schemes have become a standard feature of leading cities worldwide. This corporate e-bike share scheme for Sandton Central ensures that South Africa’s financial hub continues to be well positioned to attract business, investment, shoppers, tourists, workforces and residents, with its availability of easy, sustainable and affordable personal transport,” noted Jack.
The next step is rolling out the Sandton e-bike initiative to other corporate sponsors, which will ensure employees enjoy free access to the scheme at all locations in the neighbourhood and help expand the location station network. In addition, there are multiple branding opportunities.
Moreover, the initiative also creates jobs. All stations have dedicated station masters which are placed in the position through a partnership with Harambee, a youth employment accelerator which also provides skills development.
“The new cycle lanes in Sandton respond to a growing number of cyclists on our roads while connecting Sandton to Alexandra and improving the connections within the business node itself,” said Jack.