Abstract
This paper presents results of an investigation of the importance of transport infrastructure to socioeconomic
development. It reviews selected areas of transport infrastructure provision which inhibits
the achievement of the transport objectives as described by selected policy documents, such as the
South African White Paper on National Transport Policy, the National Development Plan and, more
recently, the National Transport Masterplan (NATMAP). The results are from four years of the Institute
of Transport and Logistics Studies’ (Africa) State of Transport Opinion Poll, an annual survey of 1,000
adults across South Africa, which investigates the public’s opinions on certain transport matters,
including the importance of transport, the perceived highest transport priorities, conditions of transport
infrastructure and services, and the perceptions on the current and future state of transport.
The findings indicate that the availability and overall condition of transport infrastructure is not
delivering transport services which addresses the needs of the South African public. Major areas of
concern for South Africans include mobility, accessibility, affordability and safety. The views from
respondents included differences between provinces, indicating disparities in infrastructure provision
across the country as well as from an urban/rural perspective, indicating the continuous divide between
accessibility levels. Although the sample size could be viewed as a limitation of the study, the
individual results over the four year period provides a comparable representation of public opinion on
transport infrastructure matters across South Africa as a whole. This research provides an original
contribution to transport research in that it is the only annual survey which gauges public opinion
regarding transport infrastructure and services in South Africa.