Gauteng traffic ‘threat to province’s growth’

punitive measures such as toll roads and high occupancy lanes are vital for reducing gauteng’s congestion problems, says jack van der merwe, leader of the gautrain project.

continued growth in new car sales — with the figure rising 18,8% in the first half of this year from a year earlier, according to the national association of automobile manufacturers of sa — has not eased the situation.



government has seen this as bad news for gauteng in particular, which was already facing congestion problems on its major roads and highways.

yesterday van der merwe said research had found that gauteng residents, in particular the growing black middle class, aspired to own cars and to move away from using public transport.


gauteng transport mec ignatius jacobs hinted in his budget speech last month at plans to introduce toll roads and cheaper rates for buses and taxis on major roads to reduce congestion and road maintenance.


this was criticised by the public and the automobile association, which said that what the densely populated province needed was an improved public transport system and an expanded road infrastructure, not tolls.


van der merwe said governments worldwide had had to offer incentives to get people to move to public transport, which tended not to be the transport of choice.

“escalating road traffic congestion in gauteng will soon start to strangle economic growth unless we find a solution in time,” he said.

“if just 25% moved over to public transport, it would help to relieve the problem.

“the idea is that you can use your car but it will cost you.”


a study by the province has revealed that over the past five years, traffic on the ben schoeman highway between johannesburg and tshwane, which carries 155000 vehicles a day, has increased 20% between 5am and 6am, which means that motorists are leaving an hour earlier for work than they did in 2000 to avoid traffic congestion.


on average these vehicles have only one occupant.

“if the public shared vehicles it would halve the number of vehicles on that road,” jacobs said.