Cape Town IRT System

I see the one in JHB is also running...so the taxi resistance has stopped now?
 
R2.8bn more on IRT is not unusual, says Cronin

December 03, 2009 Edition 2

Aziz Hartley

THE soaring cost of Cape Town's integrated public transport (IRT) from R1.3 billion to R4.1bn, was not unusual as it was similar to the amount of money other major cities would spend on their public transport systems, Deputy Transport Minister Jeremy Cronin said.

Last month the DA-led city council and Premier Helen Zille came under fire from the ANC which accused the city of mismanagement and demanded that her role in the matter be investigated. Zille slammed the call as political point-scoring and said she had no problem being held accountable on the findings of an "objective evaluation" of the issue.

Cronin, who went on a site inspection of Cape Town train station's refurbishment, said yesterday that the IRT's cost overruns had not shocked the Transport Department.

"In fact the figures that we've seen for the City of Cape Town are within the ball park of other figures we would expect for a high quality integrated public transport system we are asking of all other cities to implement," he said

Cronin said the cost escalation was similar to Johannesburg where billions of rand were forked out on projects that included the Gautrain, as well as costs in Port Elizabeth and Tshwane.

"It is not only about buses or BRT. Its about integrated public transport systems," he said, adding that the Department of Transport, in its planning of public transport, looked beyond 2010.

"It is important that from the national department we underline that we want the kind of public transport system that our people need and deserve. It is not just about the 430 000 foreign guests who will be coming next year, but for the people of Cape Town, Johannesburg and Port Elizabeth. It's the kind of system our people need in order for them to have mobility. We should not undermine confidence (in public transport). We need to act boldly," Cronin said.

Mayoral committee member for transport Elizabeth Thompson said development of public transport had been neglected for years and that the Fifa World Cup was the catalyst to tackle major transport infrastructure projects. She said all national government funding the city received had been spent.

"Yes there has been an increase in the estimation of the cost, but we realise that we are implementing a national plan. We are adhering to that (plan) We are spending the money they give. Just look at the infrastructure that is being built," she said.

Thompson said good road infrastructure was key for the IRT and that it was incorrect to assume infrastructure work was only for next year's soccer event.

Reliable train service was central to the IRT and this was why the council and Metrorail co-operated on a public transport system for the city, she said.

Earlier Passenger Rail Agency of SA chief executive Lucky Montana said renovations in Cape Town would cost about R480 million.

The station's upgrade would turn it into a world class facility for about ' 000 people who passed through it daily, he said.

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Is there any info on the feeders routes, particularly the ones in the city, like where are these stations/pickup points going to be situated.

With the feeder buses will you be allowed hop off anywhere on thee route?
 
The feeder buses were not ordered due to budgetary constraints.

There is a transport map at www.capetown.gov.za indicating bus pick up spots. The feeder system is currently being designed along with feeder stations.
 
capetownguy said:
The feeder buses were not ordered due to budgetary constraints.

There is a transport map at www.capetown.gov.za indicating bus pick up spots. The feeder system is currently being designed along with feeder stations.
Click to expand...


ok so they aren't getting new buses, but then how will the feeder system run? will the mini bus taxis be providing the service, or golden arrow?
 
capetownguy said:
yip. not sure whats so special about the location.
Click to expand...

The TMC is located right next to the Disaster & Risk Management Centre and shares the precinct with Traffic Services and Fire & Rescue. It's centrally located, easily reachable (also in peak traffic conditions) and is close to the N1, the main traffic artery of SA.
 
2010 IRT Services

Please note:

1. All the IRT vehicles i.e.
28 x 12m vehicles
8 x 18m articulated vehicles
7 x 12m airport vehicles,
will only be required to provide peak services on match days, i.e. 2 hours after the match, moving close to 20,000 per hour. A gradual service i.e. not using all 43 vehicles will be used before the match.

The Match Day service will be free, but limited to ticket holders on match days and during peak periods i.e. post match.

2. On non-match days
12m buses will generally provide a dedicated inner city loop service, while on match days, will provide the same service, reduced during the 2 hours before and after the match.

3. The Airport Service will use 7 airport buses, fitted to accommodated bags/luggage. In addition, the 18m trunk/articulate buses will cater for any additional airport demand i.e. 156 seat buses. This will cost R50.

4. It seem as if the Century City Park and Ride has been scrapped and may only be Park and Rail, using the new station. This does make sense, except that the parking area is some distance from the station. A few buses moving commuters from the parking area to the station may be required. Trains move a much higher capacity of people per hour and the new infrastructure lowers the cost of additional park and ride security/services.

The UCT Park and Ride will use Jammie Buses.

5. Other feeder services to Hout Bay/Queens Beach will be provided by buses and taxis running on a certain schedule.

4323146392_43f9405516_o.jpg
 
thanks but Im not really concerned about the world cup plans, I want to know whats going to happen after the event.

For instance golden arrow is currently useless for me as there last bus leaves town at 15:15, and I finish work at 17:00, I would ideally not want to use my car, but seems I might be forced to.

The IRT feeder service would have been ideal for me.
 
As more money becomes available I assume the feeder buses and stations will be funded.

The feeder stations are in detailed design phase, so I assume very close to being finalized.

Which area do you live in?
 
R3 billion boost for IRT system

R3bn boost for IRT project
By Ella Smook and Murray Williams
Staff Writers

The West Coast's commuter nightmare could be over by Christmas after the national government injected R3,35-billion into Cape Town's Integrated Rapid Transit (IRT) system.

While only a limited IRT service will be ready in time for the World Cup in June, work will continue on the congested corridor between Blaauwberg and the city centre at full pace from July onwards.

It is estimated that this West Coast Starter Service - which does not include the leg between Blaauwberg and Atlantis - could be complete by December.

This route is plagued daily by traffic delays.

The IRT project was mired in controversy late last year with the disclosure of a bungle that saw the projected cost of the first phase balloon from R1,4bn to R3,5bn within a year.

This led to the resignation of the executive director of transport, roads and stormwater, Eddie Chinnappen.

The full cost to roll out Phase 1A - which will include Atlantis in the north, Du Noon and Doornbach to the east, Montague Gardens and the rest of the Milnerton area - is now estimated at R4,3bn.

The national government confirmed its intention to pay R3,35bn towards the project in a letter from the Department of Transport on December 15. This was reiterated last week by Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan in his Budget speech.

The amount is R1,9bn more than the national government had originally promised and will now cover most of the huge increase in the cost of the project since its inception.

The estimated funding shortfall has now dropped to R44-million with this cash injection.

A well-placed source said the city had been embarrassed by the huge increase in the estimated cost of the project.

However, since the current quote is roughly in line with the estimate for Joburg's IRT project, the national government was apparently comfortable with increasing the allocation for Cape Town, the source said.

The source also pointed out that the initial costs (of R1,4bn) had been revised partly because the city had sought to improve the quality of several aspects of the IRT, such as wheelchair friendly turnstiles at bus stations.

The city's executive director of transport, roads and major projects, Mike Marsden, said the additional funding would result in the entire rescheduling of the project.

Marsden told the Premier's Metro Co-ordinating Forum yesterday that, because of this new allocation of money from national government, the city would be able to start sooner and this would help lower the escalation costs.

And because work could be completed faster, the project could also become cheaper, Marsden said.

Under a revised model, it was hoped that the post-World Cup IRT projects could start soon after the event.

Once the West Coast Starter Service was completed, work would start on the bulk of Phase 1A - through to Atlantis - which was planned to be completed by September 2013.

Work will also start next year on various "feeder services": new buses which will feed into the city from suburbs like Hout Bay.

For the World Cup, the city has confirmed that construction of three key bus stations are nearing completion: at the airport, at the Civic Centre and at the Cape Town Stadium. Buses have been ordered and an operator has been chosen.

During the World Cup, designated buses will run between the airport and the city at a cost of R50 a ticket, and between the central city and the stadium for free on match days.

Other new bus services will shuttle soccer fans from and back to 25 train stations which will become "park-and-ride" centres, as will UCT, Kronendal Primary in Hout Bay and Camps Bay High School.

In the central city, work has already begun on dedicated bus lanes around Hertzog Boulevard.

In the future, similar lanes will also be extended elsewhere in the metropolitan area.





  • This article was originally published on page 1 of The Cape Argus on February 26, 2010

Published on the Web by IOL on 2010-02-26 12:13:00

© 1999 - 2010 Independent Online. All rights strictly reserved.
Independent Online is a wholly owned subsidiary of Independent News & Media. Reliance on the information this site contains is at your own risk.
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IRT bike paths designed for cyclists, by cylists

Few Capetonians consider regularly travelling by bicycle, despite the obvious health and cost benefits and that bicycles can be significantly faster than cars in peak traffic.

A major problem with bike commuting is that moving through traffic is difficult and dangerous, while obstacles and uneven surfaces make pavements a frustrating and unreliable alternative. On top of this, the distances may be discouragingly far and there is the risk of bad weather, punctures, fatigue and crime.

But these issues will largely disappear as Cape Town’s Integrated Rapid Transit (IRT) system is rolled out across the city, with dedicated cycle paths making cycling an option for many.

A key feature of the new IRT system is the network of dedicated bicycle and pedestrian pathways around the main bus trunk routes. The West Coast IRT starter service that will launch towards the end of 2010 features a smooth three metre wide tarred cycle path running along its entire 16km length from the city centre to the middle of Blaauberg.

To help people reach the main route, a secondary network of cycleways has also been designed for 500m along all its intersecting roads, although due to lower usage, these will generally consist only of painted cycle lanes on the existing roads. As far as possible networks like this will be extended along all IRT trunk routes as the system is expanded.

The exceptional feature of the IRT’s cycle system is that on the main routes cyclists can opt to switch to a bus to finish the journey. This provides a backup for cyclists who are not confident of their ability, or encounter a problem.

Bicycles will be allowed onto the buses, which have been designed together with the stations to make it as easy as possible to board. Some of the necessary features include wide doors and entrance gates, level boarding into the middle of the buses, and ramps leading up to the station platforms. The stations have been placed at all intersections with the route, about 600m apart. Commuters will also have the option of leaving a bicycle at lockup facilities placed within view of stations.

The bicycle lanes along IRT trunk routes are completely separate from the roadway, and therefore much safer. Extensive signage at all intersections alerts motorists to the presence of cyclists, while dedicated security guards at all stations, CCTV cameras in stations and on the route itself and 24 hour lighting also contribute to making cycling safer.

Many of the IRT’s engineers, architects and planners are cyclists themselves, and their personal insights have helped them to create a better system.

One noticeable enhancement on the bicycle lane is that the surface changes as it approaches intersections from about 20m, then changes again in the area immediately surrounding the intersection. These subtle variations, together with warning and yield signs, provide a clear signal that pedestrians or vehicles may be present in the area, particularly as cyclists could be travelling up to 25km an hour along some stretches.

The concept of transition zones leading to intersections was borrowed from South American cities, but has been developed further by local designers. Jaco Jordaan, a landscape architect who designed the upgrades to the areas around the IRT stations is an avid cyclist who commutes to work along the route he is working on, and used this experience to perfect the details of the how the cycle route goes through intersections. As one of his colleagues, a fellow cyclist, describes it, “Jaco lives and breathes the route”.

The focus on cycling also resulted in a decision to alter the design of the IRT infrastructure around the Civic Centre to allow for the start of the Cape Argus Pick n Pay Cycle Tour. In particular, the raised concrete bumps that usually separate the red busway from normal traffic lanes have been permanently removed here to prevent injuries during the large batch starts on Hertzog Boulevard.
Martin Pollack

2010/03/11
 
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