Civil Engineering September 2021 | Vol 29 No 8

6 September 2021 Civil Engineering ON THE COVER F or the past 25 years, South Africa has attempted to address the lack of public transport in its cities and rural areas. Measures such as integrated rapid public transport networks (IRPTNs) and the scrapping initiative for ageing and unroadworthy minibus taxis are examples of government’s efforts towards improving public transport. However, in many instances the positioning of new business and shopping developments is still planned without proper provision for public transport, which is the primary mode of transport for most workers and shoppers. Due to the layout of our cities, most people still live far away from their work, shops and social services such as hospitals and Home Affairs offices. As the private sector embraces the challenge of bringing opportunities and services closer to people, more shopping centres are being opened in townships. Thus, it is important to avoid the pitfalls of the past by integrating land development and transport planning as required by the National Land Transport Act (NLTA, Act 9 of 2009). This alignment, through implementation of the NLTA, is done at municipal level. TODAY’S SCENARIO: THE ROLE OF PUBLIC TRANSPORT Every day millions of South Africans rely on buses, trains, and minibus taxis to travel to and from work. For some this is a 30-minute trip; for others it is two hours of switching from one taxi to the next or switching between various modes of transport. The objective of integrated planning is to improve people’s access to services and opportunities. Practically, this means people can easily travel from their residence to areas of work, health, and economic activity. For the majority of South Africans this means having a safe and reliable public transport service. Despite its crucial role in the func- tioning of our cities, public transport is often an afterthought in both public and private planning. Although it has become common practice to include a public transport facility in the design of shop- ping centres, there is still a lack of prior consultation with the operators who are meant to use those facilities. The result is that these facilities are located at the pe- riphery of the shopping centre, inconven- iencing both commuters and operators, as they are not easy to access and a long way from the shopping centre entrances. Furthermore, government has done its best to provide low-cost housing for Siyazi – 25 years of transport planning and transformation For the past 25 years, the Siyazi team has been at the forefront of transforming the South African transport landscape