Abstract
For the past few decades, cities around the world have been undergoing a swift and quite imbalanced development of transport systems which are extremely reliant on motorised transport. This has created problems around severe traffic congestion and the emission of greenhouse gases. ‘Solutions’ were and are focused on mass transit systems which commonly involve trains, buses and minibus taxis, rail-based Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) which fall under public transportation. However, a ‘historical’ yet environmentally sustainable and cheaper method of transportation is available in the form of Non-motorised Transport (NMT). NMT is considered as one of the more desirable forms of transportation as it has various environmental and health benefits, and traditionally, NMT was seen and used independently of motorised transport. Today, 80% of South Africans rely solely on public transportation but, unfortunately, the majority of these people have to depend on private minibus taxis. Ekurhuleni metro was established in the year 2000 and its population has since grown exponentially, going from an estimated 2 368 283 in the year 2000 to 3379104 in 2016. A breakdown of the City’s daily commuters reveals that “rail passengers make up 39% of total estimated daily commuters, while bus passengers only make up 2% of that number, minibus taxi passengers make up 59%”, and these numbers exclude the high volume of users which come to Ekurhuleni for work from the cities of Johannesburg and Tshwane. Therefore, there was a need for the analysis of the integration of non-motorised transport and public transport: A case study of the Harambee Bus Rapid Transit, Ekurhuleni. The project adopted a case study analysis which involved the collection of primary data in the form of surveys, participant observations and stakeholder interviews. These data were collected to measure actual user experiences against the goals set out by the Harambee BRT. Secondary data were collected in the form of a literature review, a bibliometric review and content analysis, to support the results found. The study indicates that users are pleased with the accessibility of the Harambee BRT and NMT, and the goals are met, as set out by the Harambee BRT. Users’ opinions are split on the aspect of safety, with lighting and layouts of the facilities meeting user expectation, however, the patrolling of guards, being able to report issues and camera provision does not meet the expectations of users. Therefore, the goals set out by the Harambee BRT in terms of safety have not fully been met, thus leaving users not feeling as safe as they should. In terms of infrastructure, users are mostly content with the amount of seating and the paving of the NMT. However, they feel that the barriers protecting them from road users, water provision and shelter provision are not up to standard, meaning once again that the goals set out by the Harambee BRT in terms of infrastructure are partially met. Users are pleased with the sustainability aspect of the Harambee and NMT which means that the goals set out by the Harambee BRT under sustainability are met. Future policies around regular user surveys, tax rebates on regular Harambee BRT use and dockless bikes need to be considered, and there is a need for the integration of public transport systems in neighbouring cities. Future projects need to be implemented which consider safety, infrastructure, accessibility and sustainable mobility of BRT systems and NMT.
Keywords: Non-motorised Transport, public transport, Harambee BRT, safety and accessibility.