Billions to be spent on railway commuter network

Transport Minister Dipuo Peters has confirmed that billions will be spent on commuter rail infrastructure to try to persuade people to use railways rather than roads to get to and from work. Image: GCIS

Commuter rail infrastructure, identified as the safest mode of public transport, will receive the lion's share of the allocation, as the department makes a push to shift passengers from road to rail.

This is according to Transport Minister Dipuo Peters, who was addressing a seminar on road safety in Cape Town.

Peters said R51bn will be spent on commuter rail infrastructure and new rolling stock over the next three years; A further R14bn will be channelled towards bus subsidies in the 2014/15 financial year to encourage a shift from private cars to public transport and reduce road congestion.

A total of R9.3bn will be spent during the 2014/15 financial year, and a further R9.9bn in the following year to upgrade the ageing road infrastructure to ensure roads conditions are improved.

"The National Development Plan (NDP) diagnostic report states that the commuter rail fleet needs to be renewed. It provides the lowest cost service in metropolitan areas and is safer than cars," she said.

The National Household Transport Survey 2013 shows that the percentage of car ownership has risen from 22.9% in 2003 to 32.6% in 2013.

The Minister also said various communication technologies have contributed to reducing road congestion and promoting safer mobility on the roads.

Road congestion in South Africa remains a problem but the Department of Transport wants to move commuters from roads to railway in an attempt to reduce congestion. Image: Live is Savage

Radio, social media reduce congestion

This, she said, was through the introduction of mobile applications and communicating road incidents on social media platforms such as Twitter, helps motorists choose alternative routes as congestion builds up.

"For instance, the SA National Roads Agency (Sanral) has deployed the Freeway Management System in three large metros. The system enables monitoring and communication of real-time traffic condition. It allows for the early detection of road incidents and subsequent deployment of emergency services and allows drivers to see where delays are occurring and avoid that route," she said.

The Minister said road safety operations have led to several actions taken by enforcement officials, which include:

• About 1.3m vehicles being verified for road safety compliance;
• 3.9m notices of road traffic offences being issued;
• A total of 42,116 traffic offenders being arrested
• At least 28,767 vehicles being impounded;

• A further 38 626 vehicles being removed from the roads because they were in an unroadworthy condition.