Sporting intelligence

Intelligent Transport Systems deployment in South Africa gets boost from Soccer World Cup 2010 preparations

South Africa is investing heavily in new infrastructure and projects in excess of €60 billion have been approved, much of which will be spent on transport and freight projects. This will result in radically revamping its transport systems.
    
Projects include upgrades to existing airports to handle an increase in passengers, new BRT systems in metropolitan areas, a new international airport outside Durban, a revamp of the road network with several long-overdue freeways to be constructed and the anticipated roll-out of multi-lane free-flow tolling in the province of Gauteng.
    
“These projects will soon achieve critical mass and will collectively change the face of transport in South Africa, restoring much of the lost mobility and strengthen the economic base of the country,” says ITS South Africa CEO Dr Paul Vorster.

Rail projects
Construction of the Gautrain Rapid Rail Link between Johannesburg and Pretoria and between Sandton and the OR Tambo International Airport is already 27 months into construction and is progressing on schedule.
    
“Gautrain has been a catalyst in creating a new standard for the public transport sector, changing the face of transport in Gauteng and forcing public transport operators to think more innovatively in providing integrated transport solutions,” says Vorster.
    
While the Gautrain project is set to dissipate the growing congestion on the major freeways in Gauteng, Vorster believes that encouraging the use of other forms of public transport and developing these transport systems is the only way to promote public transport and so manage traffic congestion on the highways in Gauteng.
    
“There is other equally exciting other public transport interventions on the planning table,” says Vorster.

World cup
Transport minister Jeff Radebe recently said that the CAPEX invested would ensure a major overhaul of the country's transport system, leaving a legacy after the tournament: “We are driven by a desire to make sure that South Africa becomes a destination of choice for tourists and businesses. The World Cup in 2010 is a catalyst for the development of our system because we need to meet FIFA requirements.”
    
South Africa has ten venues for the 2010 finals in nine different cities spread throughout the country.
    
Minister Radebe said that the number of railway police would increase from 1,400 to 5,000 by 2010 and other security measures would be put in place to ensure the safety of visitors during the tournament and beyond.
    
Back in March 2007 Cabinet approved the Public Transport Strategy and Action Plan. All three spheres of government are required to work together in the implementation of Phase 1 and 2 of a high-quality integrated rapid public transport network (IRPTN) in the period 2007–2014.
 
"Many things have happened since the launch of the Gautrain project. The cities of Johannesburg, Pretoria, Cape Town, Durban and Port Elizabeth are introducing BRT systems, which is a modem bus transport that will transport people in the city," said Vorster.

High-frequency buses
The Johannesburg BRT will see the introduction of high-frequency buses linking high-density nodes such as Soweto, Randburg, Sunninghill, Roodeport with the Johannesburg CBD. The buses will travel along dedicated bus lanes with right-of-way and traffic light pre-emption giving them preference over private cars.
    
The new bus systems that the cities are in the process of implementing will modernise and improve existing transport system in the metropolis. “The BRT systems in Johannesburg and Pretoria and Gautrain will be complementary to each other,” says Vorster.
    
These developments in the transport sector will create a more balanced transport system to enable the public to decide on the best mode of transport to use on any given day.
    
"It should become a question of 'which mode of transport will suit me best today'. We have to make transport viable, safe and reliable," says Vorster.
    
According to Vorster, the common purpose and aim of ITS South Africa is to make transport more efficient and safe for use by the general public by using Intelligent Transport Systems.

Mobility paradox
Gridlock is approaching as a result of the growth in private car usage and the absence of acceptable public transport modes. The 2003 National Household Travel Survey revealed that public transport modes used to travel to work grew by 10 per cent, while private car use grew by 20 per cent in this period.
    
This trend has resulted in the ‘mobility paradox’ with more and more people opting for private cars to achieve mobility and in the process collective mobility has degraded. “The strategic intervention to change the face of transport is an absolute blessing and ITS will continue be a high-growth sector,” according to Vorster.
    
Vorster says that there are several immediate interventions currently being implemented with more detailed plans already on the drawing board to better manage traffic and reduce the threat of approaching gridlock. The mobility paradox requires both immediate and strategic, long-term interventions. Intelligent Transport Systems will play a vital role in both.

Open road tolling
An equally exciting development is the project by the SA National Roads Agency (SANRAL) to implement open road tolling on the Gauteng regional road network. The ORT project is currently in the procurement phase with several leading international toll consortia being pre-qualified. This project would see a significant part of the road network converted to toll roads with several new freeways constructed.
    
The toll road will operate on the basis of open road tolling with no requirement for motorists to stop and pay at toll plazas. The toll plaza will be a portal fixed over the road and will electronically record the liability to pay toll.
    
The South African National Roads Agency has also been requested by Minister Radebe to take the lead to facilitate inter-governmental co-operation to launch freeway management systems in Cape Town and Durban that are similar to the one between Johannesburg and Pretoria.

Its architecture
The instruction for a similar system bodes well for standardisation, interoperability and economy of scale. In the absence of a national-level ITS architecture, this will assist in promoting a de facto architecture, or at least key elements for it.
    
Although the focus of the freeway management systems is road-based, it is likely to include measures to encourage public transport such as dedicated public transport and HOV lanes.
    
The transport debate has shifted towards a focus on integration and inter-modal transfer where a typical public transport journey will make use of several modes of transport. This is illustrated by Gautrain, its network of feeder-and-distribution buses collecting/distributing its commuters to and from its stations. Gautrain will also link with transport modes such as Metrorail, long-distance and inner city taxis, the BRT systems in Johannesburg and Pretoria as well as park-and-ride and drop-off commuters.
    
“Hosting the FIFA Soccer World Cup 2010 in South Africa has pushed transport in general, and public transport in particular, to the top of the agenda and electronic fare collection is likely to become one of the growth areas in the local ITS industry,” says Vorster.

Electronic fare collection
The Western Cape has embarked on an Electronic Fare Collection (EFC) project to facilitate commuters using a single, integrated ticket when using different public transport modes. The City of Cape Town has been running a highly successful Public Transport Call Centre advising commuters on planning their travels.
    
The Department of Transport has progressed well with its Electronic Fare Collection policy. Given numerous public transport initiatives on provincial and metropolitan level, integrated ticketing is a ‘hot topic’ and the national EFC policy is designed to assist with standardisation and to encourage interoperability. The project has progressed to the stage of regulations being promulgated by the Director General of the Department of Transport.
    
“The other, equally daunting challenge, is the policies, procedures and operations to run these transport systems with client satisfaction as the desired outcome,” says Vorster.

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