2010 Transport Plan

[Syndyre]

Sunday Times:
http://www.sundaytimes.co.za/articles/article.aspx?ID=ST6A214067

Not to be negative but it doesn't look too inspiring!

•R3.5-billion to be spent over the next four years on recruiting an additional 6000 traffic cops.

•Harsher new traffic laws and the introduction of a merit and demerit system next year. It will be a points-based system and empower the authorities to remove licences when necessary.

Now we know how they're funding it!

•Completing at least 80% of the R7.7-billion taxi recapitalisation programme by the Cup in mid-2010.

If this is going to be the transport backbone along with our amazing train system we really need help!

The plan makes provision for airports such as those at Upington, Mafikeng and Bhisho to be used as entry points to the country for scheduled international flights.

Not sure about Upington and Mafikeng but if anyone's seen Bhisho lately then...

He said at least 1500 luxury coaches were required for the tournament, but told Parliament that the country currently had only 400 such buses registered.

Chief executive for South African Tourism Moeketsi Mosola saidSouth Africa could explore the option of borrowing luxury buses from neighbouring countries.

“This is what Germany did as it did not have a sufficient number of coaches.”

Not really viable when you compare Germany's neighbours to SA's!


I'm sure there'll be plenty of people ready to flame me and accuse me of being unpatriotic etc. but is this really up to international standard?

 

[BTTB]

Trains

You know, ever since I read about "Peak Oil" it got me thinking that Rail/Tram or any means of Transport that doesn't run on Fossil Fuels is a good thing.

There has been extensive bad publicity surrounding The Gautrain Project and probably comment was warranted. I do not live in Gauteng so please take what I say with a pinch of salt regarding that specific project.
But lets say that by 2010 the effects of Peal Oil are starting to come into play, that by 2015/2020 and later the price of petrol is going to be so expensive that it may be cheaper and wiser to go by train to work?

Here where I stay, 6/7 years ago, a plan to build a Railway Line through our suburb was halted due to public outcry, me included.
Now I am thinking that perhaps this was a silly thing to have done?
People today think that Public Transport sucks, which is true, but why does it suck?
I think because only the lower end of the market, for the choice of better words, use Public Transport? Hence no proper Capitalisation?
If people were forced to find alternative modes of transport, simply because the world is using oil faster than it can pump it out of the earth and/or running out, then Rail/Tram Transport would be a really good means of transport and may play a far bigger role in future modes of Transport.

My 2c.

 

[nivek]

the 6000 extra traffic cops is excellent news, south africans generally seem to have no respect for the road, the rules of the road, or anyone else ON the road..

that extra lane on the N1 after allendale is working great too, i dont know about people living in pretoria, and travelling south but for us living in jhb and working in midrand its made quite a big difference

 

[supersunbird]

You know, ever since I read about "Peak Oil" it got me thinking that Rail/Tram or any means of Transport that doesn't run on Fossil Fuels is a good thing.

There has been extensive bad publicity surrounding The Gautrain Project and probably comment was warranted. I do not live in Gauteng so please take what I say with a pinch of salt regarding that specific project.
But lets say that by 2010 the effects of Peal Oil are starting to come into play, that by 2015/2020 and later the price of petrol is going to be so expensive that it may be cheaper and wiser to go by train to work?

Here where I stay, 6/7 years ago, a plan to build a Railway Line through our suburb was halted due to public outcry, me included.
Now I am thinking that perhaps this was a silly thing to have done?
People today think that Public Transport sucks, which is true, but why does it suck?
I think because only the lower end of the market, for the choice of better words, use Public Transport? Hence no proper Capitalisation?
If people were forced to find alternative modes of transport, simply because the world is using oil faster than it can pump it out of the earth and/or running out, then Rail/Tram Transport would be a really good means of transport and may play a far bigger role in future modes of Transport.

My 2c.

Well, putting a railroad through a existing suburb just wont work. There are roads, lots of roads, why not use them with energy-efficient, nice, clean, non-driving-like-its-a-taxi driver buses?

 

[BTTB]

the 6000 extra traffic cops is excellent news, south africans generally seem to have no respect for the road, the rules of the road, or anyone else ON the road..

that extra lane on the N1 after allendale is working great too, i dont know about people living in pretoria, and travelling south but for us living in jhb and working in midrand its made quite a big difference

That does sound good.
However here in Cape Town the Traffic Cops have been incorporated into the Metro Police. This is most confusing for the Public as 3 Sectors of Policing have now been included into the Metro Police, namely Traffic Police, City Police and Law Enforcement.
The result on the ground is confusion at the moment.
Phone Law Enforcement and you speak to an Ex City Police individual who doesn't sound very enthusiastic and cannot or will not take messages for the Law Enforcement.

One must remember that Law Enforcement was basically Officers looking after Council Property and policing the By Laws. Now if you phone you may be asking a Traffic Cop to come sort of stray dogs and a Law Enforcement Officer to pull over a car for a moving violation.

I am sure they will sort it out, but really they could inform Joe Public better.

 

[BTTB]

Well, putting a railroad through a existing suburb just wont work. There are roads, lots of roads, why not use them with energy-efficient, nice, clean, non-driving-like-its-a-taxi driver buses?

I think that many people in Gauteng are losing their homes to this Gautrain.
Perhaps you know of some people Supersunbird?
As I do not live there it is difficult for me to comment.

But I will say this. If you haven't been to Singapore and other Eastern Countries to see Buildings getting knocked down and rebuilt overnight then a mere Tram or Train is a very real possibility for countries that use Road Transport more than Rail. In Cape Town we used to have a Tram that ran down the Main Road.
I think the tracks may still be under the existing Road.
Today we are Ok, but for how long will this continue. Will my Grandchildren be driving Fossil Fuel Driven Cars? If not then what will become of the massive network of roads that have cost countless Billions of Rands.

 

[jontyB]

@BTTB: The problem with Gautrain is the service areas are silly. The people who will be able to make use of the train are going to rely very heavily on the support infrastructure to actually use the train, and the only support infrastructure currently in place is the minibus taxis. Buses are not frequent and there are not enough buses to handle the volumes carried by the trains. In the end, you are forced at some point in your transport in Gauteng to make use of a taxi, which is neither safe nor reliable - and it runs on Petrol.

IMO, the energy problem is probably something that will never really come to light. All major car manufacturers are working on perfecting Hydrogen combustion engines for use in future vehicles (BMW has several prototypes - one of which can be seen on and around Jozi's roads). Toyota has a few as well, there is a Toyota Venture running around Cape Town and surrounds that is running off Hydrogen - this experiment is running with co-operation fomr BP. I am also aware of some of the fuel companies holding many patents for various methods to create fuel. The weird thing about South Africans is that despite the consistent increase in the fuel price, Saffers still buy new cars at increasing levels.

The other, more pressing, issue is will Eskom be ready to power more and more Electric devices in the next 5 - 10 years? I have my doubts.

 

[supersunbird]

I think that many people in Gauteng are losing their homes to this Gautrain.
Perhaps you know of some people Supersunbird?
As I do not live there it is difficult for me to comment.

Its not really a BIG problem, still lots of open space between JHB and PTA, and they are following/building beside already existing railway infrastucture...

 

[BTTB]

@Jonty.

Interesting.

BMW SETS 9 RECORDS WITH HYDROGEN COMBUSTION ENGINE - COMPLETE DETAILS

Engine on Hydrogen Using Water

Pics of new BMW Hybrid Car.

Going to read up more about this subject. Thanks.
I am a bit rusty as to latest goings on.

 

[jontyB]

BTTB: here's Peugeot's offering (said to be near production): http://www.autoblog.com/2006/09/28/paris-motor-show-peugeot-207-epure-concept/

 

[arf9999]

Engine on Hydrogen Using Water

I wouldn't trust this one too far:

Hydrogen: This fuel is complete in itself. It does not need oxygen from the atmosphere to burn, which is an improvement over fossil fuels in saving the oxygen in our air supply. In fact, when hydrogen burns perfectly, nothing at all comes out of the tail pipe. If salt and metal alloy are used to create hydrogen, then there will be residues of that in the exhaust, but hydrogen fuel does not contribute oxygen to the atmosphere.

hmmm...AFAIK unless you are able to achieve Atomic Fusion (unlikely atm, as the temperatures required are a bit high) in your engine, Hydrogen requires oxygen to burn and creates H20 from the chemical reaction.
If the writer does not understand this, then I think there is a good chance that they've had the wool pulled over their eyes...

Edit: it gets worse....

Rothman Technologies, Inc., also has another method of converting water to fuel. It's called electrolysis. This method breaks water down into Brown's gas, which also is a perfect fuel for gasoline engines, and, with one exceptional change, it is similar to the method we featured in this webzine last year (see The Water Car, and Convert Your Car to Run on Water, plus my December 2002 update to both of these articles, Water Karma).

Why is Brown's gas a better fuel than pure hydrogen? Here is our opinion.

The environment is experiencing tremendous problems at the moment, and one of the most serious of these is that we are losing our oxygen. The oxygen content of the air is becoming so low that it threatens our very existence in some areas. The normal oxygen content of our air is 21 percent. But in some places it is only a fraction of that! In Tokyo, Japan, for example, the oxygen content of the air has dipped to 6 or 7 percent. If it reaches 5 percent, people will begin to die. Tokyo has even put oxygen disbursement centers on its street corners, so that people can get emergency oxygen if they need it.

Eventually, if something is not done, this low-oxygen situation will affect each and every one of us.

Brown's gas, created through an electrolytic process, actually may contribute oxygen to the air supply, rather than leaving it the same (as with fuel cells and pure hydrogen), or consuming it (as with fossil fuels). It is for this reason that we feel it will be the future technology of choice for running our vehicles.

Brown's gas? WTF? Of course you can get Hydrogen and Oxygen from water via electrolysis. And when you burn the hydrogen, it releases energy (heat) and bonds with oxygen to form...water.. not more oxygen (huh?). But you need to expend energy in order to separate the molecules in the first place. My physics is a bit rusty but i think that this is called the law of conservation of energy...

 

[Syndyre]

Here where I stay, 6/7 years ago, a plan to build a Railway Line through our suburb was halted due to public outcry, me included.
Now I am thinking that perhaps this was a silly thing to have done?
People today think that Public Transport sucks, which is true, but why does it suck?
I think because only the lower end of the market, for the choice of better words, use Public Transport? Hence no proper Capitalisation?
If people were forced to find alternative modes of transport, simply because the world is using oil faster than it can pump it out of the earth and/or running out, then Rail/Tram Transport would be a really good means of transport and may play a far bigger role in future modes of Transport.

My 2c.

The technology seems to be being developed fairly quickly to allow the car in its present form, albeit powered differently, to be around for a while. I think a lot of people would give up a lot before their cars, even if there was good public transport, especially when they've gotten so used to it. Another option is electric buses, which seem to be quite popular in Europe. The advantage there is also that aside from the overhead cables our road networks already pretty well developed.

 

[Syndyre]

@BTTB: The problem with Gautrain is the service areas are silly. The people who will be able to make use of the train are going to rely very heavily on the support infrastructure to actually use the train, and the only support infrastructure currently in place is the minibus taxis. Buses are not frequent and there are not enough buses to handle the volumes carried by the trains. In the end, you are forced at some point in your transport in Gauteng to make use of a taxi, which is neither safe nor reliable - and it runs on Petrol.

I think if the Gautrain's successful then private industry will step in to provide the last mile with shuttle buses etc. Its aimed at a totally different market to what public transport has been aimed at in this country before. I'm sure I won't be too popular for saying this but I think with the economic situation in this country its not really practical to have one public transport system for everybody. Anything that's acceptable to the people currently using cars won't be financially viable to the people currently served by minibus taxis without massive government subsidies which the government can ill afford at the moment. So effectively we need a 2 tier system and a project like Gautrain is the sort of thing that can only really be undertaken by government, private industry can then link people to the main stations and probably do it more efficiently too.

Of course the minibus taxi's also need to be upgraded and organised better etc. and hopefully with time and economic development everything can be merged into one coherent transport network, just doesn't seem likely at the moment.

 

[Syndyre]

the 6000 extra traffic cops is excellent news, south africans generally seem to have no respect for the road, the rules of the road, or anyone else ON the road..

that extra lane on the N1 after allendale is working great too, i dont know about people living in pretoria, and travelling south but for us living in jhb and working in midrand its made quite a big difference

If the 6000 extra cops improved road safety and took reckless drivers etc. off the roads that'd be great, problem is at the moment they seem to spend most of their time going after soft targets that they can fine easily while ignoring taxis etc. Lets hope that changes though.

 

[SuperAntMD]

•R3.5-billion to be spent over the next four years on recruiting an additional 6000 traffic cops

Isnt that a tad on the high side of traffic cops, thats like half a mil per cop?

 

[Nokkie]

@Jonty.

Interesting.

BMW SETS 9 RECORDS WITH HYDROGEN COMBUSTION ENGINE - COMPLETE DETAILS

Engine on Hydrogen Using Water

Pics of new BMW Hybrid Car.

Going to read up more about this subject. Thanks.
I am a bit rusty as to latest goings on.

scweet

 

[TonyA]

Train from southern suburbs Cape Town used to be well frequented approx 10 -15 years ago. No parking problems in CBD. Trains were safe and clean, Cape Town station was safe etc. Now most of stores have moved to suburbs, trains are dirty and dangerous as are stations. No wonder everyone drives his own car alone!

 

[vespax]

A decent amount of people still use the train in the southern suburbs to get to work. Students going to UCT also use it during the week. The 1st class cars are not bad at all (consider NYC trains and you would think CT Metro is nice) I have used the line a few times going to/from town and even for a day trip to Simonstown! The thing you have to watch for is make sure you are in a decenct size group. Don't get yourself in a car where you are the only one, then you might have issues. Safety in numbers....

Hydrogen cars are a lie. There I said it. The cost in technology and energy to seperate the molecules far out weigh the benefits.

Hydrogen car

Hydrogen Production

It is a fantasy that the car companies are building these things for production any time soon. Remember the solar powered cars? How about those electric cars?

My best suggestion right now: Use electric cars for urban commutes. Most of us can get to/from work within 100 miles in a day. Use biodiesell for long-range transport needs/family vacations/etc. Public transport in urban areas as well.

Besides, who wouldn't mind zipping around in one of these next year? Tesla Motors

Of course this depends on Power generation, but that can be figured out by our current know-how. Don't believe the Hydrogen myth.

 

[surface]

Gautrain builder faces fine

http://www.fin24.co.za/articles/default/display_article.aspx?Nav=ns&ArticleID=1518-24_2027768

I liked this comment, very "philosophical", anything can happen in life..

--
Bombela CEO Bouvet said he was "optimistic" about 2010.

"Anything can happen, especially if there is so much tunnel work involved. Between 18 and 24 months before the completion of Phase 1, we will have a good idea if we will be ready."
--

 

[GavinMannion]

Isnt that a tad on the high side of traffic cops, thats like half a mil per cop?

Depends really.

Does that money include training, salaries for 4 years, cars, bikes, uniforms, guns.....

If it includes everything then it seems about right. That is a lot of money though.

Salaries = R2 592 000 000 (6000 cops * R9000 p/m * 12 * 4 years)

So they have less than a Billion left, (I actually said that?)

Cars = R450 000 000 (3000 R150 000 cars no service included)

1/2 Billion left broken into uniforms, trainers, guns, bonusses... easy..

It's amazing how much things cost in the end....