Johannesburg Inner City Traffic & Transportation Study Executive Summary Final March 2010 March 2010 JICTTS Executive Summary - Final 1
Contents Contents 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1. Purpose of Report 1.2. Terms of Reference 1.3. Study Area 2. METHODOLOGY 2.1. Status Quo Assessment - Report 1 2.2. Transport Plan and Proposed Projects - Report 2 3. KEY FINDINGS 3.1. Socio-Economic Factors 3.2. A Walkable Inner City 3.3. Residential Density 3.4. Movement Issues 7. URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES 7.1. Urban Design Guidelines for Streets 7.2. Management 8. PROJECTS 9. CONCLUSIONS 10. RECOMMENDATIONS ANNEXURE 1: TABLE OF PROJECTS 4. TRANSPORT SCENARIOS 4.1. Status Quo 4.2. Increase in Future Number of Trips 4.3. Public Transport and Travel Demand Interventions 4.4. Key Findings 4.5. Future Taxi Facilities Required 4.6. Recommended Transport Growth Scenario for Planning Purposes 5. STRATEGIC PLANNING DIRECTION 5.1. Strategic Objectives 5.2. Features 6. TRANSPORT PLAN March 2010 JICTTS Executive Summary - Final 2
1. Introduction 1.1 Purpose of the Report This Executive Summary Report presents a summary of the Johannesburg Inner City Traffic and Transportation Study, Report 1: Status Quo Analysis and Report 2: Transport Plan and Proposed Projects, focusing on the latter. The report is to be presented to the Council for approval, to ensure that all future transport and land use/urban upgrade projects in the inner city can be effectively aligned to the longer term strategic development plan, prioritised and funded. 1.2 Terms of Reference The following summarises the terms of reference for the study: Complete an in-depth review of the different components of traffic and transportation and related issues Generate a transport vision in line with the Urban Design Implementation Plan (UDIP) Establish a set of transport planning principles related to the transport vision Evaluate a number of transport mode and component movement scenarios Make recommendations on transport management options Detail an implementation plan over the short to long term 1.3 Study Area 2. Methodology The methodology followed is highlighted in the flow diagramme in Figure 2.1 and summarised as follows: 2.1 Status Quo Assessment - Report 1, Volume 1 The first phase of the study, detailed in Report 1, Volume 1, Status Quo Analysis, consisted of the following tasks: Development of Vision and Principles Status Quo Assessment Transportation System Analysis by Mode Land use and Urban Design Analysis Development of Transportation Principles (Development Concepts) 2.2 Transport Plan and Proposed Projects - Report 2 The second phase of the study consisted of the following tasks, detailed in Report 2 Transport Plan and Proposed Projects: Assessment of Transport Growth Scenarios Assessment of potential Development Concepts Development of Design Guidelines Development of a Transportation Plan Identifying Proposed Projects Setting a strategic planning framework for Public Transport in the longer term The extent of the study area (the Urban Development Zone) is shown in Figure 1.1. March 2010 JICTTS Executive Summary - Final 3
2. Methodology Figure 1.1. Study Area March 2010 JICTTS Executive Summary - Final 4
2. Methodology Figure 2.1. Methodology Flow Diagramme Inception Workshop Scope, Study Objectives, Transport Vision & Principles Inception Report Analysis Land Use & Urban Design Transportation System Transportation Principles Preliminary Findings Testing Development Concepts - Integrated Mega Hub - The Network Approach Steering Committee Feedback Consolidation of Information Report 1 Status Quo Analysis Development Principles Transport Growth Scenarios Steering Committee Feedback Urban Design Guidelines Integrated Public Transport Pedestrian Network Mobility Parking Transportation Plan Development of Projects Refinement, Integration, Packaging & Prioritisation of Projects Report 2 Transport Plan & Projects Executive Summary March 2010 JICTTS Executive Summary - Final 5
3. Key Findings Figure 3.2.1. Walking distances from main public transport facilities 3.1 Socio-Economic Factors Minutes walking distance: 5 minutes (400m) The city has a rapidly growing population, as seen by the new residential opportunities being developed or re-developed and commercial expansion of business in the CBD. The inner city has also developed into the primary Sub-Saharan trading hub and metropolitan retail centre. 10 minutes (800m) This is resulting in rapidly increased traffic congestion. The current morning peak volume of approximately 400 000 motorised person trips, with relatively mild growth forecast, will increase to at least 600 000 trips in 20 years time. A modal shift to more efficient and environmentally sustainable modes is therefore critical. Braamfontein MetroMall Park Station New Doornfontein Jeppe 3.2 A Walkable Inner City It is critical that the fixed grid of the inner city must maximise the use of existing space through a clear hierarchy of streets. The size and structure of the inner city makes it a very walkable city, evidenced by the current high pedestrian modal share. Despite the importance of this node, the city is largely still very car orientated and pedestrians are not given sufficient priority or equitable allocation of space, leading to high accident rates. Walking distances between primary public transport facilities is in the order of only 10 15 minutes, and the inner city is therefore fairly walkable with regards to accessible distances. Furthermore, the iinner core area is accessible on foot throughout, from the edge to the centre takes approximately between 10 minutes to 15minutes. Refer to Figure 3.3.1 for a graphical presentation of walking distance ranges within the inner city. 3.3 Residential Density Residential densification is key to making public transport more viable. Minimum residential threshold in hubs and nodes should be in a range from 50 to more than 100 dwellings per hectare, which supports the existing policy. The minimum residential density for the remainder of areas should be 30 dwellings per hectare. The establishment of mixed use precincts in support of the multi-modal transport hubs must take place, as well as the reinforcement of local precinct orientated mixed use centred around stations (Figure 3.3.1). Minutes walking distance: 5 minutes (400m) 10 minutes (800m) Westagte Gandhi Square Faraday Figure 3.3.1. Residential Densification Legend Local precinct orientated densification centred around stations (400m /5 min). Densification in respect of identified transport hubs (800m / 10min). Note: Westgate & Faraday reduced as walkability impaired. March 2010 JICTTS Executive Summary - Final 6
3.4 Movement Issues Figure 3.4.1. Formal Public Transport Facilities Traffic congestion in the inner city is increasing due to population growth, increased car ownership and the increasing taxi modal share, and will in the longer term impact negatively on the inner city s development, if strategies are not put in place to deal with growing congestion. Inner city on-street parking is almost fully utilised and is completely unregulated. Off-street public parking is also limited. Currently no parking charges are being levied, resulting in the city receiving no revenue which could potentially be used for transport projects/improvements, and car users are not encouraged to make use of other modes (noting that free parking is a form of private transport subsidy). The inner city acts as a major multi-modal public transport hub, but it is currently fragmented with inadequate (in size and number) and poorly managed facilities. There is a current backlog of at least two Jack Mincersized facilities if the current on-street taxi ranking are to be accommodated off-street. In particular, there seems to be a need for a facility in the southeastern quadrant near the Carlton, where there is no formal facility and a high concentration of informal on-street activity, as indicated in Figure 3.4.1. Pedestrian movements are compromised due to priority that was given to motorised transport in the past, as well as by informal trading on sidewalks limiting available pedestrian space. This causes high pedestrian accident rates. Figure 3.4.2 shows the high correlation of accident rates on busy taxi routes, where there are high volumes of pedestrians and trading. The implementation of BRT has an impact on mobility, parking and deliveries, particularly along Market and Commissioner Streets Figure 3.4.2. Formal Public Transport Facilities High Pedestrian Accidents on Bree, Jeppe, Troye & Sauer Lack of formal Facilities within easy walking distance Increased pollution and environmental degradation of some parts of the inner city, as well as safety and security issues, particularly near major public transport facilities, persist. Fragmented city management (CIDs vs. general precinct management) and poor or no law enforcement relating to traffic and trading due to manpower shortages, contributes to this. March 2010 JICTTS Executive Summary - Final 7
4. Transport Scenarios 4.1 Status Quo The most dominant mode for trips originating in the study area is walking all the way. Most public transport trips starting or ending in the CBD (bus, rail and taxi trips accounts for approximately 60% mode share for the core CBD) also has a walk component. It is therefore critical for the inner city to ensure it is transformed over time to ensure a pleasant and safe walking environment. For the purpose of developing a plan to deal with growing congestion, it is necessary to focus on motorised trips, and in particular, the future volume of taxis that needs to be accommodated was estimated, as this informs the strategy for providing adequate facilities to cater for this industry. It is recognised that the taxi industry will continue to provide a vital service, even though it is planned to be rationalised on certain routes where the operation of larger public transport vehicles are more sustainable. Currently it is estimated that the inner city attracts/generates 410 000 motorised person trips in the morning peak period, or around 1.4 million daily, with Bus, BRT and Rail accounting for 22%, taxis 45% and private vehicles 32%. 4.2. Increase in Future Number of Trips Growth in transport trips are affected mainly by population growth (natural growth, urbanisation and migration) and economic growth. The study considered potential growth over the short term (5 years), medium term (10 years) and long term (20 years). The fairly conservative growth assumptions used results in the number of motorised trips in the peak period increasing to approximately 609 000, a factor of 1.5. Higher growth rates will clearly increase the challenge of dealing with congestion significantly. 4.3 Public Transport and Travel Demand Management Interventions The future modal split of the increased number of trips is key to ensure a sustainable, liveable city. If public transport cannot be significantly improved over time, it is reasonable to expect that the modal share of private vehicles will continue to increase as per the current trend in Johannesburg and worldwide. The DOT forecast that car population growth in South Africa will increase 64% from 1996 2020. Rail and Bus has historically been losing modal share to Taxi transport, although the implementation of BRT, Gautrain and significant improvements planned by PRASA to the rail system, should begin to reverse this trend. Three modal share scenarios (Figure 4.3.1) were considered in the study namely: Scenario 1 (Moderate): Moderate modal share increases for bus and rail, with a corresponding decrease in taxi mode share, private vehicle mode share remaining unchanged over time Scenario 2 (Taxi Trend): Taxi mode share increase up to year 10 with corresponding reduction in bus and rail mode share. Rail share continue to decline from year 10 20, while bus and taxi rail share remain static. Private vehicle mode share increases. Scenario 3 (Sustainable): Bus and rail mode share increase with corresponding decrease in taxi mode share. Effective Travel demand management reduces private mode share substantially. Figure 4.3.1. Mode Share Scenarios for 2030 32% Taxi Trend Scenario 42% 11% 1% 8% 6% 30% Moderate Scenario 31% Rail Gautrain BRT Bus Taxi Cars 20% 7% 1% 11% 25% 24% Sustainable Scenario 10% 25% 1% 15% March 2010 JICTTS Executive Summary - Final 8
4.4 Key Findings Key findings from the analysis are: Rail patronage increases by a factor 2.5 over 20 years in the sustainable scenario. However this will not be easily achieved without significant improvements to the current rail service and highlights the importance of vigorously promoting this mode in collaboration with PRASA, if a meaningfull shift to Mass Rapid Transit is to be achieved. The City will face serious challenges if this is not achieved, as these trips would then have to be accommodated by road, which would significantly add to the City s congestion problems. In the Sustainable scenario, by 2020, taxi trips reduces to a number below the current volumes (190 000), and reduces further to around 146 000 by 2030. However in the Taxi Trend scenario, it increases to 260 00 in 2030, an increase of almost 40% over today s volumes, a situation which will clearly place the inner city s transport infrastructure under tremendous pressure. For example, if this scenario materialises, the City would need to build 7 more Jack Mincer sized facilities. The trips by car (currently 130 000) increases to 192 000 in the Taxi Trend scenario, and only moderately to 151 000 in the Sustainable scenario. However significant travel demand measures will need to be implemented successfully to achieve a mode shift decrease from 30% to 25% (20% reduction in private vehicle mode share). 4.5 Future Taxi Facilities Required In Report 1 it was estimated that approximately 5800 taxis currently operate in the Johannesburg CBD. Given the estimated available formal ranking facilities, it was calculated that there is currently a shortfall of approximately 1800 ranking and holding bays, or approximately 3 facilities of the size of Jack Mincer. If BRT is rolled out successfully (including feeder system) in Soweto, and these taxis are rationalised, the number of facilities required to eradicate the shortfall reduces to two only. The number of new facilities required in the medium and longer term for the various scenarios considered are shown in Figure 4.5.1. The figure show that if taxis start to reduce in line with the moderate scenario, the maximum number of new facilities required is three. However this sharply increases to 7 in the trend scenario, which will be extremely difficult to plan for due to the scarcity and high cost of land in the CBD. No. of Facilities Required Figure 4.5.1 Future Taxi Facilities Required 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 Soweto BRT fully implemented 0 5 10 15 20 Horizon Year Option 1 Option 2 Sustainable Moderate Taxi Trend 4.6 Recommended Transport Growth Scenario for Planning Purposes Clearly the sustainable scenario, which holds the most benefits, should be aimed for, however it also requires significant interventions by the City and other transport role players to manage travel demand and significantly improve public transport provision, in particular the more sustainable mass transit modes where applicable, in the medium to long term, which were deemed arduous requirements and possibly not achievable. It is therefore proposed to aim for the sustainable scenario, but plan for the moderate scenario. March 2010 JICTTS Executive Summary - Final 9
5. Strategic Planning Direction 5.1 Strategic Objectives The aim of the transportation plan is to: 1. Build an Inner City that is functional and livable. 2. Establish a walkable network in the inner core that conveniently connects public transportation in a legible and effective way. 3. Optimise the use of existing facilities by redefining their hierarchy and role within the proposed system. 4. Treat taxis as an integral part of the system provided, and work towards the optimisation and integration of their services. 5. Consolidate long distance services in close proximity to Park Station to facilitate efficient inter-modal transfer. 6. Provide new facilities where they are presently lacking around employment and mixed use nodes. 7. Incorporate a non-motorised transport network along key routes to complement the system. 5.2 Features Designing Streets for Multiple Users The transport plan has the following key features, : Hierarchy of Facilities (location indicated in Figure 5.2.1 ): Centrally located major rail facility (Park Station & Gautrain), supported by a BRT network Long distance taxis/buses all under one roof in close proximity to main rail station, the closest suitable site being Kazerne. Medium-sized commuter facilities: Metro Mall, Westgate, Faraday, Doornfontein, Ellis Park. Smaller facilities e.g. the Bus Exchange or Super-Stop On-Street formalised drop-offs on selected taxi focus routes Interconnectivity supported by a Pedestrian Network (including other non-motorised modes); as well as: Bus and Taxi Focus Routes General traffic mobility routes around a central, walkable core area, well served by public transport, where traffic restrictions (such as congestion charging) can be implemented in the longer term. 6. Transport Plan The transport networks linking and supporting the hierarchy of facilities indicated in Figure 5.2.1, are illustrated in the following plans: Figure 6.1. Proposed Road Network for Vehicular Traffic Figure 6.2. Proposed Pedestrian Road Network Figure 6.3. Proposed Cycling / Trolley Pusher Network The proposed vehicular network shows a structured hierarchy of - Mass transit routes (railway and BRT) - Class 1 and 2 higher order routes around the CBD, focusing solely on mobility - Main roads focused primarily on mobility (private vehicles and freight emphasis although other road users will use these roads). These roads border an area which is earmarked as a pedestrian oriented zone, well served by public transport, that could potentially (in the longer term) be subject to vehicle restrictions such as congestion charging. - Transit oriented roads, where the focus will be improving mobility of public transport (bus and taxi) and could include exclusive priority lanes, where warranted. Good quality public transport stops and pedestrian facilities should also be provided on these streets. A number of streets are proposed to be semi-pedestrianised (i.e. vehicle access restricted to local access, deliveries and emergency vehicles only) while a secondary network of pedestrian priority routes, (on which pedestrian needs will have a high priority but vehicles are not restricted) are also proposed. March 2010 JICTTS Executive Summary - Final 10