MyCiTi bus project zooms ahead

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15-02-2024
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Plainsman
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Roadworks for Phase 2A of the MyCiTi bus infrastructure in Mitchell’s Plain are gaining momentum.

The City’s Mayoral committee member for urban mobility, Rob Quintas, told the Plainsman they’re currently verifying the location of underground services (“MyCiTi construction under way”, Plainsman September 20, 2023).

“We’ve planned to do the construction of the additional bus rapid transit lanes (the red bus lanes) and other road improvements in phases over a period of approximately three years,” he said.

They’ve also relocated existing trees and are working closely with City Parks in order to replant them at suitable locations elsewhere in Mitchell’s Plain, he said.

The fences at Cornflower Primary School, Lentegeur High School and the Lentegeur Psychiatric Hospital have been relocated to a new setback position in order to prepare for the eventual road widening to take place, he said.

“We can only start with the construction of the new infrastructure such as additional lanes, stations, and stops needed for the roll-out of the MyCiTi bus service along AZ Berman Drive once we have relocated the underground services, and relocated the trees. This is a laborious process, but much needed as we need to ensure that the City always has access to these underground services to do repairs or upgrades,” he said.

“We’re not only building new lanes for the MyCiTi buses, but also improving the intersections for better traffic flow,” he said.

In some cases they’re adding additional turning lanes, non-motorised transport facilities such as universally accessible sidewalks on both sides of AZ Berman Drive and cycle lanes as well as a MyCiTi station, named Sesame, that will be located along AZ Berman Drive, opposite the Watergate Mall and Mitchell’s Plain District Hospital, he said.

The road works are limited between 9am and 3pm on weekdays to avoid peak hour traffic periods and limit the impact on commuters.

Access to properties and businesses is being maintained. Peripheral work outside the roadways will occur outside of the 9am to 3pm window, but this work is limited to normal hours between 8am and 5pm.

Chairperson of Lentegeur community police forum (CPF), Byron De Villeirs, said the project has caused some traffic congestion. However, the main concern is intimidation and the theft of the tools and equipment.

“All role players have been approached, however the thugs still see it as an opportunity to benefit by stealing resources. We have a WhatsApp group with the role players of the project so should anything happen all are informed of any changes,” he said.

Ward 76 councillor Avron Plaatjies said he is excited about the project.

“I think it’ll create an alternative, safe and affordable public transport to Mitchell’s Plain. The MyCiTi bus will relieve congestion during peak hours,” he said.

His office received some complaints from motorists about traffic congestion due to the construction work on AZ Berman Drive.

“To motorists, please be patient and exercise caution as we travel to our destinations. This construction site is temporary and will benefit the broader community at the end,” said Mr Plaatjies.

“Contractors are required to appoint a certain percentage of local labour and procure services and material from local sub-contractors if possible. Our project managers monitor these conditions to ensure that contractors comply with the requirements,” he said.

This project alone created temporary job opportunities for 16 people, seven local sub-contractors benefited and 14 local businesses, he said.

“I’m excited. The intention of the roll-out of the second phase of the MyCiTi bus service is to provide commuters from Mitchell’s Plain and Khayelitsha with direct, affordable, scheduled public transport to Wynberg and Claremont. Thus, once implemented, commuters will have more choices in terms of the mode of transport best suited to their needs.” he said.

Pedestrians will also benefit with universally accessible sidewalks, as will cyclists from the cycle lanes, he said.

“This is a major investment in the Mitchell’s Plain area and will assist in rejuvenating the areas where the service is rolled out. We’ve seen with the roll-out of the first phase of the MyCiTi bus service that the surrounding areas benefited from the investment the City made with new investments from the private sector following suit.”

He said roadworks by their very nature are inconvenient. There will always be an impact on traffic, pedestrians, and the surrounding community as the work is usually disruptive and causes delays, regardless of how many controls, signage, and flag personnel are in place to guide traffic through the work areas.

“We ask the local community and commuters to please support us, considering alternative routes for commuting, if this is possible at all, and to please adhere to the reduced speed limit of 40km per hour as we take the safety of the construction workers very seriously. We also want to thank the community and commuters in advance for their understanding and patience,” he said.

The new Lentegeur bridge that is located south of the R300 and west of AZ Berman Drive connects residents of Lentegeur safely over the trainline with AZ Berman Drive (“New pedestrian bridge for Lentegeur”, Plainsman December 19, 2023).

The Lentegeur pedestrian bridge will also facilitate access to the Sesame MyCiTi station that will be located about 400m away along AZ Berman Drive.