Improving infrastructure to promote the safety of non-motorised road users in South Africa

Abstract

Paper presented at the 23rd Annual Southern African Transport Conference 12 - 15 July 2004 "Getting recognition for the importance of transport", CSIR International Convention Centre, Pretoria, South Africa. Pedestrians and cyclists are very vulnerable road users and accidents involving them usually result in fatalities or major injuries. Pedestrians, in particular, represented for many years a major part of road casualty statistics in South Africa. Although their percentage involvement in road accident fatalities has decreased from about 48 per cent to about 42 per cent of all road fatalities per annum in recent years, they still represent a significant component of road casualties in South Africa. Annually, more than 5 000 pedestrians are killed and another 30 000 injured, of which about 10 000 sustain serious injuries. Many factors contribute to this sad and undesirable state of affairs. This includes the human element through the undisciplined behaviour of pedestrians and drivers, the lack of effective traffic law enforcement, an inadequate road environment which in many cases do not cater for the needs of non-motorised road users, especially in the previously disadvantaged areas where facilities to walk alongside or to cross roads are often lacking. The lack of co-ordination between transport and land-use planning also results in pedestrians and other non-motorised road users having to cross major roads and freeways at-grade with grave consequences. Although the human element plays a major role in the incidence of these casualties, it is a proven fact that the lack of facilities for pedestrians and cyclists to cross roads or move alongside roads is contributing to these road casualties. This is especially the case in the less developed urban areas as well as on rural roads with high traffic volumes. Recently, a new set of guidelines, titled Pedestrian and Bicycle Facility Guidelines manual, was published by the National Department of Transport for the provision of safe pedestrian and cyclist facilities on South African roads. The purpose of this new manual was to evaluate, review and combine the existing Bicycle and Pedestrian Manuals into one, practical, user-friendly manual and to add new relevant, efficient and cost-effective standards and guidelines.The purpose of the paper is twofold. Firstly, it gives a brief overview of the facility guidelines contained in the new Pedestrian and Cyclist Facility Guidelines Manual, the appropriate design parameters to be used for pedestrian and cyclist facilities in South Africa and the methodologies to be used for pedestrian and cyclist network planning. Secondly, it illustrates how this manual could be used as a tool to support the implementation of government strategies and initiatives such as Moving South Africa (MSA), National Bicycle Programme, Integrated National Disability Strategy, Road to Safety Strategy 2001 – 2005, Integrated Development Planning (IDP), Integrated Sustainable Rural Development Strategy (ISRDS), Urban Renewal Programme (URP), and others.