31 March 2006
A major overhaul has been proposed for the Tshwane Metro area's transport system in preparation for the 2010 World Cup soccer tournament.
The multi-million project includes the construction of an overhead pedestrian linkage between the University of Pretoria/Loftus Station and Loftus Versfeld Stadium, the development of a rail corridor between Mabopane and Hammanskraal stations, construction of a public transport facility at Wonderboom Airport to cater for buses, minibus and metered taxis, and the upgrading of Hans Strijdom Drive up to Trichard Road.
Other initiatives include the colour-coding of minibus and metered taxis linked to specific public transport routes and legal operating licences and the development of an integrated ticketing system for public transport in conjunction with the Gauteng provincial government and Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni metro councils.
An estimated R176-million is expected to be used by both the Tshwane Metro Council and the Department of Transport.
The municipality has established a Tshwane 2010 World Cup Consultative Forum which comprises a number of stakeholders including the Chambers of Commerce and Industry of South Africa (Chamsa).
Only Loftus Versfeld Stadium has been confirmed by Fifa as one of the 10 stadiums to host the 2010 World Cup matches as was Royal Bafokeng in Rustenburg.
The Metro Council has proposed Super Stadium (Atteridgeville), Giant Stadium (Soshanguve) and HM Pitje (Mamelodi) as training venues for the World Cup tournament. LC de Villiers (University of Pretoria) and Pilditch (Pretoria West) are also available as training venues.Council spokesperson William Baloyi said they were awaiting approval from Fifa in connection with the proposed training venues. He could not say how much money had been budgeted for the upgrading of the HM Pitje and Giant stadiums.
Plans for the proposed Rainbow Stadium, earmarked for a piece of land between Pretoria North and Wonderboom, had temporarily been shelved. "The municipality has taken over the project after delays caused by private developers.
"Baloyi said funds would be made available for the stadium which was proposed in the Bid Book to Fifa.Council official Mike Krynauw stated in a report submitted to council last month that transport and road infrastructure in the vicinity of the stadiums needed to be upgraded to handle the number of spectators expected to attend the tournament.
Krynauw said the reinstatement of the rail commuter service between Pretoria and Hammanskraal was critical. "The need for such a service has been enhanced by the one-sided action by the National Roads Agency in developing the Platinum Toll Highway with toll tariffs much higher than the norm." "The rail authorities have long-term plans to link the Mabopane and Hammanskraal stations by rail.
"Such long-term plans can be superseded by running a dedicated bus or minibus taxi service in such a public transport corridor," he said.Kganare Lefoka, Chamsa's chief executive officer, said yesterday they had developed a strategic approach to tackle key issues like transport, accommodation, enterprise development, community involvement and safety and security.Lefoka said they sent a high-level delegation to Germany last year to look at how they deal with safety and security issues.
"Unfortunately, Fifa regulations prohibit us from making our plans public. This might be seen as undermining what Germany is doing for the (2006) World Cup," said Lefoka.He said they could only make their plans public once the final whistle of this year's tournament had blown.
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