Was Car-Free Month in Sandton Success or Failure?

Now that the month-long EcoMobility World Festival in Johannesburg is over, what do people think? While some liked being forced to use public transport and others complained of traffic jams and lost income, the event definitely got Sandton’s commuters thinking about transport alternatives.

Sandton’s CBD was closed to cars for the festival’s October run, and people were encouraged to use public transport, cycle and walk.

The month was meant to give locals an idea of what the city planned for the future. In the ‘Joburg 2040’ blueprint, it is envisioned to have an environmentally friendly city focused on energy efficiency, and water and waste management, coupled with the conservation of resources.

Mack Ndlhovu, a driver for Mzansi Cabs, had harsh words for EcoMobility month.

“This has been a bad month for me,” he said. “The frequency of my clients has decreased because of this. I think they are staying away from Sandton. I grew up cycling everywhere and I think you can’t force people to do such; it has to be their choice.”

Traffic had been worse than usual during the month, Ndlhovu said. Also, it saddened him that the city spent so much money on this while students had no money for fees.

Jerri Mokgofe, a well-known blogger and photographer, said he hadn’t been negatively or positively affected by it.

“I still think it would have had a better impact if people were schooled on its effects before it was introduced,” he said. “I think we are too quick to adopt international, American, European things when we are not ready in terms of infrastructure.”

Humphrey Letsapa, who works at Sandton City shopping mall, said, “For me it has improved the time I spent in a taxi because of the separate lanes for public transport so it has been a good month.

“It has also helped us a lot in terms of alternatives to motorised transport. It is also good for the environment and I’m all for it in the future.”

Another metred taxi driver, Vukani Gasa, who drives for Gautrain Metre Taxis, said the month had been very problematic. “Metre taxis are also public transport but they have been taking our cars out of the dedicated public transport lanes.

“This has had a negative impact on the business with the street closures because I end up taking an hour going to a place it usually takes 10 to 15 minutes. I still charge a base price but it takes longer for me and it’s not viable.”

Louis Tshakaone, a young entrepreneur, said: “It hasn’t done much of a difference in terms of traffic when using the car but when I used buses or tuk-tuks it was a breeze to move around Sandton.

“I think people need to be educated on the positives of using non-motorised vehicles or public transport and this will work. For now I still believe this was thrown at us and more work (was) needed on educating the society on its benefits.”

Partly sourced from MediaClubSouthAfrica