Public transportation corridor in Pietermaritzburg

A public transportation corridor is to be established in the Pietermaritzburg area, through a partnership between the National Department of Transport, KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport, and Msunduzi Municipality. This corridor will run from Georgetown in the South of the City, through the Central Business District, to Northdale / Raisethorpe in the North. This corridor will be about 17 km long, and will involve Edendale Road; Longmarket, Pietermaritz, West, East and Church Streets; and Old Greytown Road. It will link communities in Edendale, Imbali, Georgetown, Machibisa, Woodlands, Northdale and Raisethorpe to each other, and to places of employment, shopping and recreation. It will also improve public access to the following facilities:

  • Hospitals (Edendale, Midlands Medical Centre, KwaHlengabantu, Fort Napier, Northdale, St Anne’s)
  • Industrial areas (Camps Drift, Mason’s Mill and Willowton)
  • Supreme Court, and Magistrates Courts
  • Municipal Offices
  • Provincial Legislature
  • Schools
  • Police Stations
  • Taxi Ranks
  • Provincial Departments (Education, Health, Local Government, Public Works, Transport and Provincial Treasury) and 2 National Departments (Land Affairs and South African Revenue Services)

The main objectives of establishing this corridor are the following:

  1. Upgrading of public transportation facilities in the Greater Edendale-CBD-Northdale corridor in preparation for the implementation of the taxi recapitalization program in KwaZulu-Natal, and promotion of a more efficient public transportation system. A key feature will be the construction of a Central Public Transportation Interchange in "Freedom" Square.
  2. Fundamental restructuring of public transportation in the Pietermaritzburg area, with a particular focus on creating attractive and user-friendly public facilities as well as the transformation of the minibus-taxi industry.
  3. Improvement in the level of service to commuters and other users of public transportation with emphasis on fare stabilization, reduced journey times, and extended hours of operation.
  4. Providing support for and promotion of non-motorised forms transportation: walking and biking (shovakalula).
  5. Stimulation of local economic development with a focus on inner-city renewal, job creation and poverty alleviation.
  6. Community revival and bridging the gaps between communities.

The key elements of the public transportation corridor will be the following:

  1. Upgraded public transportation facilities and infrastructure,
  2. Public transportation vehicles given priority over private vehicles,
  3. Sidewalks and bikeways provided for pedestrians and cyclists,
  4. Urban renewal, community revival and job creation through the establishment of multi-purpose community centres, and adoption of a labour-intensive approach in undertaking some parts of the project.

The anticipated benefits from public transportation corridor project are the following:

  1. Upgraded public transportation facilities designed to make public transportation comfortable, convenient, and user-friendly, as well as to accommodate the New Taxi Vehicle, once the implementation of the taxi recapitalization program starts.
  2. Improved public transportation service characterised by short travel times, higher frequencies, safer vehicles, and extended hours of service.
  3. A world-class public transportation interchange at "Freedom" Square, which will not only demonstrate a new philosophy and future in the design of public transportation facilities, but will also serve as a gateway to Pietermaritzburg and the Midlands area.
  4. Transformation of the minibus-taxi industry, through the implementation of the taxi recapitalization program, involvement of the industry in the management and maintenance of public transportation facilities, and changes in the nature of taxi operations.
  5. Local economic development, job creation and poverty alleviation, which will flow from the planning and construction activities of the project.
  6. Urban renewal and community revival which will be driven through the establishment of the multi-purpose community centres, and creation of more public space with the development of a network of sidewalks and bikeways.
  7. An increasing proportion of people utilising non-motorised transportation.
  8. Stimulation of investment in the Msunduzi Municipality, because the majority of projects planned for presentation at an Investors’ Conference to be held in Pietermaritzburg in April 2003 will be a lot more attractive and economically viable with establishment of the public transportation corridor.

The Pietermaritzburg Corridor forms part of the Three Cities Programme, which also incorporates a R303 million Ulundi-Richards Bay corridor, and a R425 million-budget allocation for work from New Germany to kwaDabeka linking up from the Inanda Road.

The total cost of the project will be approximately R100 Million.

 

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