Gauteng roads are not public-transport friendly, Gauteng public transport, roads and works minister Ignatius Jacobs said on Tuesday.
”We need to make roads more friendly by creating dedicated public-transport lanes for buses and taxis,” he told a commuter indaba in Johannesburg. ”We get angry when taxis go into the yellow lane, and it is against the law.”
Jacobs punted the idea of an integrated transport system to an audience of taxi owners and associations, rail organisations and commuter associations.
”We must be willing to put aside our differences and work towards an integrated public-transport system,” he said.
As the host province of the 2010 Soccer World Cup, Gauteng does not have the luxury of time.
”We have to get things right in terms of public transport,” he said.
The indaba forms part of Gauteng’s Public Transport Month.
A national Car-Free Day last week to encourage the use of public transport did little to relieve traffic congestion, especially on Gauteng roads.
Jacobs said: ”Car-Free Day was far from a failure. It raised awareness of public transport and exposed people … to the challenges and needs of the public-transport service.”
Turning to the different modes of public transport, he said trains are cheap and spacious, but hardly arrive on time.
On minibus taxis, Jacobs quipped: ”You don’t know when they will be there, but there will be one.”
Suggestions of a weekly and monthly ticket for taxis that could be used across all modes of transport received an enthusiastic response.
A strategic agenda will be put together to transform rail and bus services, and to improve pedestrian and road safety in Gauteng.
The government’s taxi-recapitalisation programme will form part of the plan, Jacobs said.
He said the indaba will see the start of a process to set up a provincial body to represent commuters. — Sapa