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

[carbon29er]

Last July I was in the Netherlands for the TDF. What was startling was to see groups of children and teenagers riding between villages in the evenings, not a care in the world. No thought given to physical or personal safety.

 

We can but dream.

[RocknRolla]

Personally I'm not waiting for cycle lanes to fall from the sky before I start cycling to work.

 

I will continue to do so at every opportunity, and will manage the other road users as one would do in the car. There are certain road I will not travel on by bicycle. If there happen to be segregated lanes on my commute it will be great.

[cat-i]

For sure....this guy has been commuting to work in Sandton for many years now.

 

As have I - since 1998, from various places in Pretoria to Unisa, and later from Fourways and then Randburg to Sandton, Rosebank, Parktown and again to Sandton. Started out with pepperspray, but after an incident where I peppered myself I now ride without that as well. 

 

Would absolutely love to see more bicycles on the road - but can't wait for conditions to be perfect, and have to do what I can with what I have.

[Flemish Lion]

And the lazy buggers can get electric bikes

 

It would be great if SARS / Companies can assist to ignite a commuting culture... providing infrastructure (bike lanes, showers, lockers) alone won't work.

[wiledog_x]

They are trying to implement First World systems in a Third World country. It's bound to fail.

[cat-i]

They are trying to implement First World systems in a Third World country. It's bound to fail.

 

It will fail because 'they' are trying. 'We' should be trying...

[shawnvan]

No - regardless of planning, infrastructure constraints and atrocious driver etiquette / attitude towards cyclist, the biggest factor against commuter cycling in JHB is the terrain.

 

JHB is simply too hilly for 99% of the population to ride on as a commuter option.  Its fine for those of us on the hub who are fit and cycle regularly, but can you imagine an average middle aged South African man or woman (20kgs overweight) climbing Sandton Drive every morning to get to the office?

 

The reason why everyone in the Netherlands can cycle is because any ride has 0.001% elevation gain, and this it the case in most big European cities. 

 

The only viable option for most people would be E-bikes, but those are expensive.

[Flemish Lion]

No - regardless of planning, infrastructure constraints and atrocious driver etiquette / attitude towards cyclist, the biggest factor against commuter cycling in JHB is the terrain.

 

JHB is simply too hilly for 99% of the population to ride on as a commuter option.  Its fine for those of us on the hub who are fit and cycle regularly, but can you imagine an average middle aged South African man or woman (20kgs overweight) climbing Sandton Drive every morning to get to the office?

 

The reason why everyone in the Netherlands can cycle is because any ride has 0.001% elevation gain, and this it the case in most big European cities. 

 

The only viable option for most people would be E-bikes, but those are expensive.

 

Good point.

 

Holland maybe 'flat' but Belgium not so much - I had a friend cursing me when we toured Belgium and I had told him Belgium was flat . My mom commuted daily up a steep long hill with her e-bike, but they are indeed expensive and must be charged, etc. - so not viable for the average Joe.

[RocknRolla]

nailed it svan.

 

Even on my commute home, there is a monster hill, where I pray for every light to be red just so I can get my HR down.

Do that after a particularly tiring day at the office with a minimum 2kg backpack, and it makes for unpleasantry

[Flemish Lion]

nailed it svan.

 

Even on my commute home, there is a monster hill, where I pray for every light to be red just so I can get my HR down.

Do that after a particularly tiring day at the office with a minimum 2kg backpack, and it makes for unpleasantry

 

I climb 300m to work and 100m from work, so 400m (500 if I go over NC Hill) in 26km total for the day. If I do an Engen ride before coming to work I'm pretty poked!

[RocknRolla]

I climb 300m to work and 100m from work, so 400m (500 if I go over NC Hill) in 26km total for the day. If I do an Engen ride before coming to work I'm pretty poked!

 

sheesh,

 

I have 350 in, and 270 out, over 21kms each way total of 42 then

the afternoon feels like 500m, mainly because going up rustenburg road, and 1st ave in linden.

 

Edit: clarified total distances.

[Bateleur1]

No - regardless of planning, infrastructure constraints and atrocious driver etiquette / attitude towards cyclist, the biggest factor against commuter cycling in JHB is the terrain.

 

JHB is simply too hilly for 99% of the population to ride on as a commuter option.  Its fine for those of us on the hub who are fit and cycle regularly, but can you imagine an average middle aged South African man or woman (20kgs overweight) climbing Sandton Drive every morning to get to the office?

 

The reason why everyone in the Netherlands can cycle is because any ride has 0.001% elevation gain, and this it the case in most big European cities. 

 

The only viable option for most people would be E-bikes, but those are expensive.

 

I disagree to that.  I was really amused to see how the old people cycle here and more specifically in the area where I live.  Yes Munich itself is fairly flat.  But to the south where I live there is this rif with a few nasty climbs there.  Every single time I commute I am guaranteed to see at least one old toppie commuter cycling from one town to the other on his old bike.  Yes it takes him half the morning to ride/walk up the hill but he is commuting with his bike.  And to add to that some of them are pulling bike trailers with their shopping or loaded up the luggage carrier while they are at it.

[kosmonooit]

'Topograpy' in Jhb was cited as a problem factor at a big local gov talkshop I went to a couple of years ago. Yes, its a factor maybe for someone who never pushes a pedal, but once you do so regularly its not a problem at all. In fact I often factor in the steepest climbs I can find back home or on errands, and I have a few choices because I live on the hjghest spot in Jhb. And sometimes I even sneak in some intervals. Makes my day.

 

So what will introduce or bring about a culture of cycling here? In my opinion, build it and they will come. But this must and will be driven by economics: cycling is a cost saver for those spending their meagre wages on taxis and taking a chance in a skorokoro. So firstly, suss out where this demand is, and respond to that. Make that work as foundation, grow it and go from there. Go and see the number of cyclists coming south out of Tembisa at 6:30am, and you will see what I am on about.

 

 

Unfortunately this is not the case, the logic that determined where Jhb's cycle lanes (if you can call a painted green strip on the road that) have been 'built' eludes me completely. They have wasted the millions on useless projects on routes that no one uses. And all whilst the wide pavements grow weeds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[RocknRolla]

'Topograpy' in Jhb was cited as a problem factor at a big local gov talkshop I went to a couple of years ago. Yes, its a factor maybe for someone who never pushes a pedal, but once you do so regularly its not a problem at all. In fact I often factor in the steepest climbs I can find back home or on errands, and I have a few choices because I live on the hjghest spot in Jhb. And sometimes I even sneak in some intervals. Makes my day.

 

So what will introduce or bring about a culture of cycling here? In my opinion, build it and they will come. But this must and will be driven by economics: cycling is a cost saver for those spending their meagre wages on taxis and taking a chance in a skorokoro. So firstly, suss out where this demand is, and respond to that. Make that work as foundation, grow it and go from there. Go and see the number of cyclists coming south out of Tembisa at 6:30am, and you will see what I am on about.

 

 

Unfortunately this is not the case, the logic that determined where Jhb's cycle lanes (if you can call a painted green strip on the road that) have been 'built' eludes me completely. They have wasted the millions on useless projects on routes that no one uses. And all whilst the wide pavements grow weeds.

 

it's straight off the bat of lagging infrastructure upgrades among the feeder routes into the main centers.

 

The wide pavements that should have formed part of an extra lane or two on the main routes should incorporate a segregated cycle/pedestrian walkway.

 

These days, a major retail/residential development will not be approved unless the access into and out of these areas be upgraded. All for the developer's expense (factored into the house prices or retail rental prices - which has a ripple effect on the market)

The developer will then only upgrade the absolute minimum requirement with the rest of the roads being left as badly tarred, single carriage ways with traffic lights that are not synchronized.

 

This all makes a huge mess of bottlenecks, etc, and obviously the developer is certainly not thinking about cyclists/pedestrians while doing this grudge upgrade.

 

So, I guess after my waffle, what I am getting at, is that our local municipalities are trying to maintain an infrastructure that is falling apart, where during the last 20 years, all that money was channeled into upgrading and providing infrastructure to rural area's (not wrong, by no means, but once again ill implemented) while neglecting the current infrastructure. Throw some tenderpreneurship into the mix and you have failed before even trying to start.

[cat-i]

nailed it svan.

 

Even on my commute home, there is a monster hill, where I pray for every light to be red just so I can get my HR down.

Do that after a particularly tiring day at the office with a minimum 2kg backpack, and it makes for unpleasantry

 

No need to race up the hills on your commute. For you there may be because you're training or chasing strava. For me it's a way to get home. My bike has a granny gear and I know how to use it. I find there's few things that improves the mood better after an tiring day at the office.

[RocknRolla]

 My bike has a granny gear and I know how to use it.

 

Therein lies my problem.

 

My choice, I know.

 

You are right, nothing sorts out a shitty day at the office like a good cycle home.