Can Johannesburg reinvent itself as Africa’s first cycle-friendly megacity

[Bonus]

In a city of 10 million designed around the car – but where most can’t afford one – could bicycles be the answer? The legacy of apartheid planning makes change difficult but cyclists are pushing and, crucially, they have the mayor’s support.

 

 

http://http://www.theguardian.com/cities/2016/may/24/johannesburg-africa-first-cycle-friendly-megacity-bicycles?CMP=share_btn_fb'

[Flemish Lion]

No.

 

Unless if every driver is given a bicycle to ride for a week to experience what it is to ride in traffic.

 

I commute daily and I would not recommend it unless you have a few years experience under the belt to know what to do, look out for, control anger, etc.

[Uni]

the only way this would work is sheer numbers, the routes I drive to work and back have lots of these "bike busses" - it's great to see them waiting for each other - helping other riders out with mechanicals etc - and the cars have to give them more space than the lone rider. 

would be nice to see but head in sand moment again possibly

[the nerd]

No. 

[EmptyB]

Malema said no more bike lanes...

[gummibear]

No.

 

Unless if every driver is given a bicycle to ride for a week to experience what it is to ride in traffic.

 

I commute daily and I would not recommend it unless you have a few years experience under the belt to know what to do, look out for, control anger, etc.

Have to agree...far to many people that have never ridden a bicycle on the roads.

[slickandtyred]

Police enforcement and people bothering to obey basic common sense rules of the road (including cyclists and pedestrians)

[kosmonooit]

We are just so far away from this ideal. For a few reasons, here are two:

 

Culture of driving is appalling and lethal, even in a 4x4 I get stressed out by frigging idiots everyday. There is no such thing as giving way.

 

Besides that, those in charge of roads and policy here are clueless. The 100's of millions spent on  'cylce lanes' already have been  total waste. Cycle lanes HAVE to be segregated from traffic if there is to be any hope of them working. There are lots of opportunities on the wide pavements for bike lanes,  but that doesn't happen because, although they sit in endless meetings and workshops on the public tab, they suffer from limited scope and imagination, and can't see beyond currently silly laws that say thy shalt not cycle on the pavements.  It's the times we live in: public policy is dissociated from reality in general.

[LeTurbo]

Alas, no. For a simple reason: Cape Town was and is Africa's first (only?) bike-friendly city.

 

Although some would contend that Cape Town isn't actually part of Africa.

[Eldron]

Not until drivers start seeing driving as an actual activity instead of a time wasting death race....

[mudda]

Agree with above regarding skill ...

 

You need the skills below + an intuition for South African drivers ...

 

https://youtu.be/e6b8pZqFou8

[cat-i]

In a city of 10 million designed around the car – but where most can’t afford one – could bicycles be the answer? The legacy of apartheid planning makes change difficult but cyclists are pushing and, crucially, they have the mayor’s support.

 

Would love to see this! Between Randburg and Sandton there's already a lot of singletrack right on the side of teh road. Traffic light crossings and narrow roads here and there need some driver education and maybe some help with a bike lane.

 

The bigger problem is probably that cycling as a way of transport is not cool. As soon as you arrived, you have to have a car. This is the saddest quote out of the article ... the word 'stigmatised' ...

 

Most of the Diepsloot cyclists are not South African by birth; they are immigrants who found their first homes here in an informal area on the fringe of the city. Nearly all of the group come from Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia or Zimbabwe, importing bike culture from countries where cycling has been less stigmatised.

[HappyMartin]

Alas, no. For a simple reason: Cape Town was and is Africa's first (only?) bike-friendly city.

 

Although some would contend that Cape Town isn't actually part of Africa.

The question is around the first cycle friendly Mega city in Africa. Capetown isn't a exactly a mega city. I have no opinion on its friendliness to bicycles. But that's not the issue.

[Loose cog]

I have noticed a growing number of commuters between Alex and Tembisa using the roads and I think they are heroes. Often give them a thumbs up and big smile whilst stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic in Sandton. Would love to see more cyclists on the roads commuting to work.

[nonky]

I would LOVE to see it but the current bike lanes (UJ-area) are not working and are unused...

 

Like Rea Vaya, this may be another great idea by the CoJ that's sunk by poor planning, bad routing and terrible implementation.

[Reden]

No. Cape Town will beat them.

No. We drive like idiots.

No. As posted here. It should be a activity not a death race

 

On another forum I had a thread about a traffic incident. after a wile cyclists got targeted on one member posted a picture of cyclist in front of a bus "ready to skip the traffic light".

Little did this person know it was from the UK with preferential cycling lanes and some sort of rules.

 

In Rooihuiskraal, Centurion there are very short sections of cycle lanes. Yellow line sections and portions on the pavement.