Headshot Posted January 19, 2017 Share I wish I could cycle commute but my work and family obligations would make this almost impossible at the moment. That and the awful traffic filled route through dodgy areas I'd have to navigate... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eddy Gordo Posted January 19, 2017 Share The city, in my opinion not wanting to be a cock here, is really failing miserably in creating and maintaining a safe cycling vibe. They spend millions to create the infrastructure, and then just move on to something else. No maintenance or repair plan in place. It is like it was on someone's job performance agreement to complete, box ticked, move on. They nor any of the formal cycling bodies in CPT care one hoot about our safety. We are on our own here. Sad but true... I am so sick to see the cycle path go backwards, week, by week, day by day... At least soon it will be a MTB Track with obstacles, and **** like that...This is so typical of our government. They want all the first world amenities, put them in place and forget about it. I think mainly this is for the sake of having infrastructure to make it appealing.However they forget that all of these need to be maintained, much like how they always maintaining the N1 and N2 and no other roads or mainroads. However I suppose that is because its a means in which more business is brought into the town. The only first world innovation that is constantly maintained in my opinion are the speeding cameras, as this is a great and easy way to make money. The rest of the facilities are not as important. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eddy Gordo Posted January 19, 2017 Share Do you know what the City could do? Employ an oke, with a spade and a wheel barrow at the hout bay beach front, every day he just needs to move 10 loads back to the beach. If this gets done everyday you would not have the sand dune now covering the my citi stop and half the road making it dangerous for all road users. There is so much labour and a really simple and easy job. Its one less of those 30000 jobs they need to create.This should be so easy and simple to do. There are plenty of unemployed, however alot of them would choose to rather wait for handouts unfortunately.Dont get me wrong hey, I have always said there is such alot of opportunity for someone who is desperately in need of work. Street sweeping - give one guy an area he can clean in a week and repeat every week, plant some flowers, report leaking pips etc. However this will never happen, as it is an extra person the city needs to pay. If all the high earning public servants take a huge cut in their already exorbitant salary, then this is extremely possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted January 19, 2017 Share This should be so easy and simple to do. There are plenty of unemployed, however alot of them would choose to rather wait for handouts unfortunately.Dont get me wrong hey, I have always said there is such alot of opportunity for someone who is desperately in need of work. Street sweeping - give one guy an area he can clean in a week and repeat every week, plant some flowers, report leaking pips etc. However this will never happen, as it is an extra person the city needs to pay. If all the high earning public servants take a huge cut in their already exorbitant salary, then this is extremely possible.never ....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Posted January 19, 2017 Share http://businesstech.co.za/news/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/MP-salary.png Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eddy Gordo Posted January 19, 2017 Share Yeah, and then they get cars, houses which they dont pay for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikkelz Posted January 19, 2017 Share I caught the MyCiTi bus into town this morning and was shocked at the number of informal houses/squatters, etc. along the route in the Salt River/Woodstock sections. Until the city/government/santa claus removes these illegal dwellings along the bus lane (in the bushes on either side) and where the lane joins Hertzog Boulevard, the lane will never be "safe". There's a crazy number of people "living" in one of those fenced off areas (same fencing as along the route) just before you get onto Christiaan Barnard Street. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reinhardt89 Posted January 19, 2017 Share Currently only 0.8% of the modal share are cyclists. Something like 40% are private vehicles and the rest is train and taxis and busses.Instead of the City building cycling lanes, they need to buy a million bicycles and give it to the less privileged. This will instantly create critical mass. Then the city can easily see where people are riding and then provide the infrastructure. I have personally met the people in charge and can say with 100% certainty that the city's cycling future is in good hands, these okes are clever and are also cycling enthusiasts themselves. They are newly appointent specialists in the field. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hackster Posted January 19, 2017 Share So if we are to look at cities that get cycling right - that is to say where cycling is adopted by 40% of the population - are these cities similar to ours? How far is the average commute? What's the local topography look like? Cycling isn't the answer. Cycling and good public transport is. If local government had effective control over Metrorail and other local PRASA assets, a great deal could be done to improve the circumstances of the vast majority of our citizens. It was interesting to note that when local business owners were surveyed some years back about what was holding back development and progress (can't remember who ran this survey), the number one response was 'unreliable local transport'. The answer begins with trains, it progresses with buses and it's topped off with bicycles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reinhardt89 Posted January 19, 2017 Share I can't remember the exact figures, but something like 30% of all trips are less than 5km... no tell me that is not achievable by bicycle. Hackster summed it up nicely, cycling isn't the answer... and integrated transport system is. (Cars, busses, bikes, bicycles, trains, taxis) All working in harmony and complimenting one another. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johan A Marais Posted January 19, 2017 Share I caught the MyCiTi bus into town this morning and was shocked at the number of informal houses/squatters, etc. along the route in the Salt River/Woodstock sections. Until the city/government/santa claus removes these illegal dwellings along the bus lane (in the bushes on either side) and where the lane joins Hertzog Boulevard, the lane will never be "safe". There's a crazy number of people "living" in one of those fenced off areas (same fencing as along the route) just before you get onto Christiaan Barnard Street. Spot on - this is a big part of the problem, and it seems there is no appetite to address it. I commute here every day, and how many times have seen guys wash themselves in full view of the buses and commuters... Now the fence is breached in so many places they can just take down... On a more funny side, or sad side depending on where you at in your day... I once stopped to pee (I had to, to many coffees) just down from where the guys were washing, and the cops stopped to reprimand me. I had to laugh, but they did not see the joke... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikkelz Posted January 19, 2017 Share On a more funny side, or sad side depending on where you at in your day... I once stopped to pee (I had to, to many coffees) just down from where the guys were washing, and the cops stopped to reprimand me. I had to laugh, but they did not see the joke... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrumpyOldGuy Posted January 19, 2017 Share So if we are to look at cities that get cycling right - that is to say where cycling is adopted by 40% of the population - are these cities similar to ours? How far is the average commute? What's the local topography look like? Cycling isn't the answer. Cycling and good public transport is. If local government had effective control over Metrorail and other local PRASA assets, a great deal could be done to improve the circumstances of the vast majority of our citizens. It was interesting to note that when local business owners were surveyed some years back about what was holding back development and progress (can't remember who ran this survey), the number one response was 'unreliable local transport'. The answer begins with trains, it progresses with buses and it's topped off with bicycles.Indeed, here many locals commute into work, but they live in the city, so their commute is 5 kms max, people from outside this very small Metro Zone take the public transport. From my experience this is normal in many European cities as well, very short commutes. South African cites are sprawling and most folk would need to cycle at least 10-15 kms, probably much more, the topography and possibly weather conditions are also not conducive to it, JHB has lots of hills, CT has lots of wind, just as examples, not everyone sees cycling as a sport or a method of keeping fit, if the distance is short and the weather is great, many folk may just cycle as its quick and easy, but for most people its not practical all the time, and thats where a good public transport system is crucial. By the way, Bicycles here are supposed to be licenced if you ride them on a public road, however similar to SA its not very well policed so many folk dont bother, but if you are in an accident and you are not licensed you can probably forget any insurance assistance, medical or product replacement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nonky Posted January 19, 2017 Share posted this via twitter and it has been noted they will attend to the fence ... pics taken below ... tried to pull the fence back in place, but it would not budge. ended up pulling the fence back so that it would not hang out onto the lane, and cable tied this place.....also tied some bags lying around to the "foot" of the fence that is in the lane, so that it is more visible. World Class vandalism... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carbon29er Posted January 19, 2017 Share Do you know what the City could do? Employ an oke, with a spade and a wheel barrow at the hout bay beach front, every day he just needs to move 10 loads back to the beach. If this gets done everyday you would not have the sand dune now covering the my citi stop and half the road making it dangerous for all road users. There is so much labour and a really simple and easy job. Its one less of those 30000 jobs they need to create.There was a great big bulldozer there today moving the dunes away so your oke with his wheelbarrow can move his 10 loads a day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwissVan Posted January 20, 2017 Share Currently only 0.8% of the modal share are cyclists. Something like 40% are private vehicles and the rest is train and taxis and busses. Instead of the City building cycling lanes, they need to buy a million bicycles and give it to the less privileged. This will instantly create critical mass. Then the city can easily see where people are riding and then provide the infrastructure. I have personally met the people in charge and can say with 100% certainty that the city's cycling future is in good hands, these okes are clever and are also cycling enthusiasts themselves. They are newly appointent specialists in the field. A million bicycles won't touch sides I wonder what the taxi industry reaction will be when they start loosing income when the millions try commute by bicycle? IMO SA cities will never have the same bicycle commute culture as Europe, the distances involved are to large, the dangers and lawlessness on the roads to high and SA is basically a mall culture not a inner city or village culture. The best for CT is to develop cycling tourism which will result in positive spinoffs for the locals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.