Cape plans route for buses and cyclists only July 28 2008 at 11:14AM By Natasha Joseph The City of Cape Town is planning a dedicated route for public transport and cyclists that is to stretch from Cape Town station to Milnerton through Paarden Eiland - and hopes it will be in use by March 2010. The route would be separate from that for other traffic and could cut travelling times on the congested West Coast roads during peak periods by up to 15 minutes for commuters using buses. The Table View Ratepayers' Association is cautiously optimistic and calls it a "great development". Ron Haiden, chief engineer of project planning and conceptual design in the city's transport directorate, said the road would be the first in the city dedicated to buses and bicycles. There were dedicated bus and cycle lanes on certain routes - Klipfontein and Modderdam roads, for instance - but there were no roads reserved exclusively for buses and bicycles, he said. According to an advertisement in Friday's Cape Times calling for public comment as part of the environmental impact assessment (EIA), the planned route would stretch from Cape Town station to the Marine Drive and Boundary Road intersection on the R27. It would run along Old Marine Drive under the N1 freeway "using the rail underpass east of the N1 freeway-Marine Drive interchange, the disused Paarden Eiland rail spur" and follow Milner Road to Marine Drive. Haiden said the intention was to provide cyclists with a safe route between the central business district and Milnerton, Rugby, Brooklyn and Paarden Eiland and to cut public transport users' travel times significantly during peak hours. "The location of the bus way and cycle way together with landscaping in the disused rail siding through Paarden Eiland will also result in an attractive environmental improvement of this area," Haiden said. "It is our hope that a favourable environmental record of decision for the construction of the proposed bus way and cycle way will be issued in time for construction to start in the last quarter of 2008 for completion by March 2010. "The city is planning to provide bus lanes and cycle lanes on the R27 and Koeberg Road as far as Blaauwberg Road and beyond. "It is estimated that more than 5 000 public transport passengers an hour in the peak direction would immediately benefit from these improvements ? and it is hoped that the demand for public transport, rather than for private car travel, will increase." Genni Easton, chairperson of the Table View Ratepayers' Association, said traffic congestion between the city centre and Table View was "chaotic". "We agree that solutions must be found as soon as possible." But Easton warned that the prospect of rising sea levels along Milnerton and Table View could jeopardise the project. Haiden, however, said that as no part of the development would take place below ground level, the prospect of rising sea levels posed no greater threat than was usual. Easton said the ratepayers' association would register as an interested and affected party during the public participation process and would submit comments. Haiden said the council was investigating the provision of a city-wide integrated rapid transit system and would be seeking to engage with public transport operators on this process. The proposed bus and cycle way between the city centre and Marine Drive was being designed in a way that it could accommodate integrated rapid transit system vehicles, he said. The application for environmental authorisation and a draft basic assessment report have been published for comment, and have been made available for public view at the Brooklyn and the Woodstock public libraries. Individuals or organisations wishing to register as interested and affected parties and to submit comments on the proposed route must do so by August 25. Comments must be submitted in writing. This can be done by contacting De Villiers Brownlie Associates on 021 674 4263 or by email on dbass@icon.co.za.
