39th Annual Southern African Transport Conference 2021

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/2263/82219

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Sustainable transportation through enabling partnerships
(Southern African Transport Conference 2021, 2021) Smith, L.T.M.
Transport is one of the biggest opportunities for economic development, whilst simultaneously being a large contributor to climate change. Urbanisation and auto-based urban sprawl create environmental and economic challenges, including traffic congestion, Greenhouse gas emissions and local air pollution. The public sector is often hindered by numerous bottlenecks to achieve sustainability, leading to the formation of partnerships to achieve complementary investments for improved sustainability. The objective of the paper is to assess barriers for sustainability in South Africa and provide innovative ideas for improving sustainability through partnerships. Through desktop analysis, several issues hindering sustainability were highlighted, and innovative ideas were then selected to encourage partnership formation. For sustainability to be met, an entity should be established to facilitate partnerships, embrace innovations, provide incentives to attract private capital and ensure effective infrastructure is in place.
Minibus taxi industry partnerships for sustainable transport
(Southern African Transport Conference 2021, 2021) Mtsi, T.
Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11 is to “make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable” because of the rapidly rising levels of urbanisation. Rapid rates of urbanisation and population growth require adequate transport systems to facilitate accessible, reliable and safe urban mobility. SDG Target 11.2 is to “provide access to safe, affordable, accessible and sustainable transport systems for all” and it emphasises the expansion of public transport, with special attention to the needs of the disadvantaged. The minibus taxi industry (MBTI), coined as the “servant for the urban poor”, accounts for approximately 63% of public transport work, school, and recreational trips. It is responsible for 15 million daily commuter trips, with an additional 325,000 commuters using minibus taxis as a feeder mode to other modes of transport. The MBTI plays a significant role in the South African public transport industry and thus needs to be leveraged to for sustainable transport solutions. The aim of this paper is to demonstrate how partnerships between the MBTI and other stakeholders can be fostered to create sustainable transport solutions. The Institutional frameworks for Integrated Mobility Services (IRIMS) in future cities will be used to relate the interrelationships between stakeholders. There are four main stakeholders in the stakeholder model namely, the MBTI, businesses (private companies), users (commuters) and the state (government); collectively referred to as the MBUS Model. An introduction to the stakeholders in the MBUS model will be given, followed by a discussion on their current way of operating. IRIMS will be discussed, highlighting the institutional levels that exist within the framework. A theoretical solution is discussed to demonstrate the sustainable nature of IRIMS. This paper advocates for the inclusion of the MBTI in developing sustainable transport solutions, emphasising on how partnerships between the MBTI and existing institutions can be done to achieve this.
Sustainable transport through enabling partnerships
(Southern African Transport Conference 2021, 2021) Molefe, L.; Newlands, A.
This paper describes how a mobile application can be used to establish, improve, and maintain walking buses in Cape Town through enabling and strengthening partnerships between local government, organisations, and communities. Walking buses are groups of students that use set routes to walk to school under adult supervision. Previous walking bus initiatives in Rondebosch, Delft, and throughout Cape Town have shown that there is a need for this kind of programme, but many of these initiatives encountered problems in sustaining the walking buses and getting continuous support from sponsors, stakeholders, and partners. This proposed mobile application aims to assist with these challenges. This will be done by incorporating information from schools and parents, such as start times, convenient drop-off areas, and potential routes. Additionally, parents will be able to track their children through the application and volunteers will be trained and given an incentive for participating in the initiative. This application was not piloted or implemented as part of this research.
Road restraint systems: state of the art 2021
(Southern African Transport Conference 2021, 2021) Sematlane, M.; De v roodt, L.
Forgiving roadsides are designed to reduce the severity of run-off-the-road crashes. Road signs and markings keep vehicles on the road while shoulders and the absence of unnecessary objects in the road reserve provide grace to errant vehicles. Road restraint systems protect road users from fixed objects while providing a safe environment for secondary road users such as pedestrians and cyclist. The RTMC initiated a research project on Road Restraints Systems (RRS) with the aim to provide a uniform approach to the assessment, evaluation, prioritisation and design of road restraint systems across all road networks. The research is based on existing road design literature. Comparison of road geometric design manuals revealed that many countries developed their manuals from AASHTO: A Policy on Geometric Design of Highways and Streets, including the “The SANRAL Geometric Design Guide, 2003’’ and ‘’South African Road Safety Manual, 1999, Volume 6, Road Side Hazard Management”. The concepts of risk assessment and computer-based needs analysis are new to the most recent manuals. There are only two standard RRS testing methods, AASHTO Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware 2009 and European EN1317, (adopted by South Africa). Academic research continues to refine test variables and finite numerical element calibrated on the physical tests to the above standards. Proper Road Restraint Systems will significantly influence road safety and reduce the demands on the national budget through Road Accident Fund [RAF].
Measuring the impact of roadworks on traffic progression using floating car data
(Southern African Transport Conference 2021, 2021) Bruwer, M.M.; Andersen, S.J.; Merrick, W.
Roadworks projects, while necessary to upgrade and maintain our transport networks, are loathed for their presumed negative impact on our daily commute. The purpose of this study is to investigate how Floating Car Data (FCD) can be used to assess the influence of a work zone on traffic progression. The effective change in speed and travel time was examined within and around a work zone of the recently completed upgrade of the N1 in Cape Town, particularly during the lane closure of the inbound section of the N1 between Durban Road and Jip de Jager Drive. The use of FCD to assess the impact of work zones provided unprecedented insight into traffic patterns such as the change in position of bottlenecks during roadworks. FCD was shown to improve our understanding of traffic movement within work zones. This can provide input to strategies for safer traffic accommodation during roadworks, going some way to improve the daily commute of road users.
The challenge of socio-economic data for the western cape travel and land use model
(Southern African Transport Conference 2021, 2021) Contiero, F.; Allen, W.G
Transport and land use models are famously data-intensive, requiring huge amounts of data on demographic and economic conditions at a high level of geographic detail. This information is needed for model development, calibration, and application. The new Western Cape Land Use and Transport Interaction (WCLUTI) model was especially ambitious, as it represents combined and connected models for transport and land use. Transport models require information on the demographics of travellers, since most of their travel choices are influenced by their socioeconomic conditions. Land use models require even greater amounts of information, in order to accurately describe the supply, demand, and pricing of land and the relationships among those elements. Obtaining the necessary data at a high level of geographic detail is always challenging. Problems include public agencies that may be reluctant to share information, inconsistent data collection, and data that exists in different forms and for different years. The Western Cape project addressed these issues by assembling the most accurate possible picture of observed travel and development from many different sources. Both public and private data sources were used. A large effort was spent on reducing inconsistencies between datasets. For example, satellite imagery and GIS tools were used to establish equivalencies between population and employment data at the Small Area Layer and at the Enumeration District layer. The data that was finally used represents an amalgam of different information, representing different geographies and different years. In addition, the data being used for this model is never considered “final”. As new information is made available, earlier data is made more detailed and accurate. This is a continuous activity that will be built into the model development process.
Women’s financial inclusion in the transport industry
(Southern African Transport Conference 2021, 2021) Matshwane, M.
Women's financial inclusion in the Transport sector was a problem before the emergence of the COVID 19 pandemic. Women have been struggling to be part of economic development in the transport sector since before the beginning of democracy. It is known as a male dominated industry. Stereotype plays a core role in disadvantaging women so that they are not seen as being capable or suitable to perform the same job as men. This results in women being cast aside in transport sector employment and procurement opportunities. Further, most working environments are typically not conducive for or receptive to women. These environments are also not conductive to men taking on caring roles so that women can advance in the workplace. Transport industry boardrooms are occupied by men. Few women are at able to be part of boards, committees or play senior roles as forum members. In his address the President of South Africa his Excellency Mr Cyril Ramaphosa made mentioned that in all government department procurement processes, women, including women with disabilities; have to constitute 40% of the economy in all businesses sectors. The National Development Plan Vision 2030 also emphasises the matter on women's empowerment especially in economic development.
The effect of covid-19 transport regulations on commuters
(Southern African Transport Conference 2021, 2021) Mokoma, Lesedi
The Covid-19 pandemic has drastically changed lives. In a limited period, the government has adapted to the challenge of safeguarding human life by publishing regulations under the Disaster Management Act of 2002. The regulations limit contact between citizens while continuing to ensure that the provision of basic goods and services are provided. Public transport is at the forefront of daily human interaction and directions focusing on hygiene control and disinfection, loading capacity restrictions and limited operating hours of vehicles and facilities are applied at varying degrees during different lockdown levels. The presentation is a high-level view of the implications of these regulations on commuters: the members of society who ensure basic goods and services are provided and who have no other option but to make use of public transport to provide for their families.
Application status analysis of autonomous vehicle (av) transport systems
(Southern African Transport Conference 2021, 2021) Cai, L.
With the rapid popularization of high-tech artificial intelligence, 5G, and cloud computing, public transportation has gradually realized the need for transformation from artificial to autonomous. This paper discusses the development status of autonomous public transport and analyses the shortcomings of this model from the perspective of the vehicle, the public, and government and manufacturers. Finally, based on the case of Shanghai Rail Transit Line 10, the changes brought by the application of autonomous technology in this line is analysed, the advantages of the autonomous vehicle transport system are summarised, and some ideas for the further improvement of autonomous public transportation application and the construction of intelligent transportation is provided.
Post covid-19 transition: the impact of covid on south african women entrepreneurs and the opportunities to pivot to “better” markets
(Southern African Transport Conference 2021, 2021) Möllmann, C.
COVID-19 has had a significant effect on women entrepreneurs (WE’s) in South Africa. 59% of women-owned businesses work in sectors hardest hit such as retail, restaurants, food shops and domestic services. The disruption of childcare support for working parents, especially women who tend to take on the bulk of care work in a household, has had an additional impact. This is especially true for black women subsistence farmers in rural areas as COVID-19 restrictions halted harvesting and selling. Whilst the government has introduced a number of SMME support initiatives, such as the safety net initiative, many WEs cannot benefit because they are not registered and so not meet participation criteria. Financial institutions are not positive about providing loans to small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic due to lack of collateral and because many are currently in arrears on existing loans. Despite the obvious challenges, a number of opportunities for women in the COVID-19 era exist, particularly in online shopping and digital commerce. A recent Mastercard study revealed the exponential growth of e-commerce in South Africa – with 68% saying they have been shopping more online since the pandemic began. As the pandemic presents new business opportunities for women, especially in terms of online shopping and services, ensuring access to technology or digital solutions, affordable data and trade resources will empower more women to succeed in business.
Transportation concessions: elixir to sustainable transportation and economic empowerment of the marginalised
(Southern African Transport Conference 2021, 2021) Mabece, L.
Major development of public transport last occurred with the development of the Gautrain Rapid Rail Network before 2009. Both rail and bus operations have shrunk in South Africa whilst the demand for public transport should be growing due to the growing population and developments. Whilst the funds to subsidise public transport continue to shrink it is imperative for government to enable the development and growth of other alternative services that may not necessarily rely on government subsidies. There is room for government to invite applicants to bid for concessions in both passenger and goods rail sector. PRASA continues to shrink with economically viable routes now closed whilst the public can only opt for the minibus taxi industry. The Transnet rail infrastructure is also under utilised with some lines are mothballed whilst there is room to utilise them for both passenger and goods. The congested urban roads create a mature environment for monorail as viable alternative mass transit system that is more economical and faster to deploy than the heavy rail. In addition to all the above, NLTA provides for commercial service contracts that contracting authorities may facilitate to enable unsubsidised but reliable services. With all the mentioned services comes the empowerment of the historically disadvantaged, development of new skills and major job creation in the transport sector whilst reducing carbon emission footprint the South African transport sector contributes to the country’s current position.
Examining the impact and responses of covid-19 directed to women and business
(Southern African Transport Conference 2021, 2021) Mgolozeli, S
In emerging economies, small businesses, especially those owned or led by women are critical to growth, employment and development. These businesses do face financial and operational difficulties due to various limitations in good economic times, as the COVID-19 crisis has only amplified the challenges which were already existing and must contend with on a daily basis Access to finance being one of the examples which is generally the lifeblood to any growing business has constantly been a significant challenge for many before the global crisis. Today, pandemic focused restrictions on the financing space pose even greater hurdles to the operations and sustainability of finances directed to small and female owned businesses and in many cases are a definite threat to their very existence. A potential of extensive widening of existing gender inequalities has also been produced by the pandemic. The barriers and constraints that women entrepreneurs face including but not limited to access to finance are being highly accelerated by Covid-19 pandemic. The support of businesses and more specifically those owned and led by women has to be morerelevant and needed during this global crisis. The complete impact of the crisis was not felt evenly by all, with women especially those in businessbearing the brunt of economic fallout. The story needs to change.
Traffic conflict techniques: state of practice
(Southern African Transport Conference 2021, 2021) Milligan, C.
This talk will introduce the science of surrogate safety in traffic engineering and the use of computer vision to obtain surrogate safety data. Regarding near-miss conflicts between road users, the presentation will identify what measurement indicators are most effective in predicting the likelihood of future injury collisions. Finally, case studies will be presented where computer vision was used to diagnose road safety problems, recommend solutions, and measure the risk reduction effectiveness of these solutions.
Small-city traffic management using unmanned aerial vehicles (uavs)
(Southern African Transport Conference 2021, 2021) Ebrahim, R.; Bruwer, M.M.; Andersen, S.J.
Dedicated Traffic Management Centres (TMCs) are only operational in three of the largest metropolitan areas in South Africa (in Gauteng, eThekwini and Cape Town). Smaller cities and towns do not have TMCs to assist with traffic management due to the prohibitive cost of these facilities. This research considers the benefits that a small city environment could gain from live traffic management, specifically considering the town of Stellenbosch in the Western Cape as a case study. Stellenbosch experiences heavy congestion during the morning and afternoon peak periods due to significant trip attractions. A framework for the implementation of UAVs to monitor traffic as part of TMC activities was determined for Stellenbosch. A case study includes determination of flight parameters; flight height and speed, as well as the path a could UAV follows to monitor traffic in a 4 km radius around its point of deployment. A framework for the implementation of UAVs to incident response is also created, indicating how UAVs could be used to aid emergency response personnel to better understand and respond to an incident scene. The cost benefit of using UAVs compared to traditional CCTV monitoring for traffic management was evaluated. Additionally, the benefits and limitations of such a system are identified according to findings from the case study. It was determined that using UAVs could provide substantial benefits for traffic monitoring in small city environments.
Digitisation of the regulated minibus taxi network: a case for gauteng province
(Southern African Transport Conference 2021, 2021) Mhlanga, S.; Muronga, K.; Ndamase, M.
Gauteng Minibus Taxi industry and Government have identified the need to eradicate violence as well as improve public records keeping to aide better regulatory outcomes. The significance of paper represents a contribution to transport planning and MBT regulation in resolving data redundancy. There exists no reliable spatial dataset of MBT routes in Gauteng. Currently, NLTA Regulations does not prescribe physical route mapping as a requirement to the license application process but makes provision for recording detailed route description and physical verification of routes. The paper methodology is descriptive in nature and illustrates techniques and processes undertaken to develop a geo-spatial database of routes with defined network operational attributes for Gauteng Transport Authorities. Catalogue statistics includes route lengths, hypothesised variation in route navigation, regional and provincial network (km), Origin and Destination names. Paper concludes that GIS routes baseline requires continuous update to effectively enhance understanding of MBT industry operations for public transport network integration and planning purposes.
Location analysis of private schools: a move towards data-driven insight
(Southern African Transport Conference 2021, 2021) Coetzer, B.A.; Krygsman, S.C.; De jong, T.
The prudence with which facility siting decisions are made is often a key determinant of a business’ relative success or demise. Ease of transport access often plays a cornerstone role in the school choice process and, accordingly, the selection of a particular site for a new school should be considered sagaciously to ensure acceptable accessibility for its target market. The research explored the use of a geographic information system (GIS) to perform various accessibility-based analyses to inform school site selection in the Cape Winelands Municipality. The research considered the perspective of a private-sector education provider aimed primarily at learners from higher household income backgrounds. The results of these analyses suggested that existing schools within the study area were well-positioned to serve the higher end of the market effectively, however, several sites were identified which would be accessible within 12 minutes driving time for a sufficient number of targeted learners to potentially render relatively small facilities (with capacities of approximately 200 learners) justifiable. As a result, it was suggested that a private education provider should either pursue one or more of the proposed sites in anticipation of future population growth or it should consider the possibility of acquiring existing facilities instead of Greenfield expansion.
Travel behaviour and attitudes of young people in the johannesburg metropolitan area, south africa
(Southern African Transport Conference 2021, 2021) Heyns, G.J.; Luke, R.
The travel behaviour of millennials, young adults under the age 34, have received increased attention over recent years. As millennials represent approximately 40% of the South African population, the push factors that motivate their travel behaviour is important for transport service providers and planners. This article investigates the travel behaviour of millennials in the Johannesburg metropolitan area by identifying their preferred mode choice for different trip purposes, their service quality perceptions of different transport modes, their views on how to encourage the use of public transport and their private car ownership intentions. This research utilises a quantitative research design and empirical data were collected from a convenience sample of 630 millennials in the Johannesburg area. The research instrument was a self-administered online survey. The results indicate that young people tend to use public transport options for work and educational trips and are more inclined to make use of private car and ride-hailing services (Uber/Bolt)) for leisure and after-hours trips. Most millennials indicate that they intend to procure a private car as soon as they can afford it. These intentions are essentially determined by their opinion that the quality of public transport is inadequate and unsafe.
Infrastructure and climate network lessons learned
(Southern African Transport Conference 2021, 2021) Sias, J.E.
The changing climate is affecting infrastructure performance and service life all over the world. A key factor in assuring the resilience of transportation infrastructure in the future is the incorporation of climate change into the analysis, design, and management processes. The Infrastructure and Climate Network (ICNet) was established in 2012 to bring together climate scientists, researchers, and practitioners to accelerate new research and adaptation in climate change impacts to transportation infrastructure. This talk will present some of the lessons learned through ICNet efforts and activities.
The social perception and holistic assessment of bus rapid transit in soweto
(Southern African Transport Conference 2021, 2021) Molefe, L.; Vanderschuren, M.J.W.A.
In 2009 the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) highlighted the importance of government investment in energy efficient, pollution reducing transport modes and infrastructure. This policy specifically recommended the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system as a transport mode to help achieve the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). BRT is an innovative, bus-based system that integrates the high efficiency of a rail system and the low cost of a bus network. BRT was first developed and implemented in Curitiba, Brazil, in 1974. After the successful adaptation and implementation of the BRT system in Latin America, South Africa saw the planning and implementation of the first BRT systems during the early 2000s, in preparation for the Soccer World Cup in 2010. The first BRT system, named Rea Vaya, meaning “we are going”, commenced in 2009, connecting the South Western Township (Soweto) to Johannesburg. A decade after the services started, this paper takes stock of the impacts that the implementation of the Rea Vaya BRT system has had on Soweto residents. A combination of the analysis of secondary economic and environmental data and primary social data provided information to conduct a Multi-Criteria Analysis (MCA). Aggregating phase one and two of Rea Vaya implementation results in a positive Net Present Value (NPV) of R693m, and a Benefit/ Cost-Ratio (BCR) of 1.09. The MCA identifies additional social benefits, giving the BRT a clear advantage over the use of minibus (van) taxis.
Unpacking the technical and perception barriers to electric vehicle uptake in south africa
(Southern African Transport Conference 2021, 2021) Manu, B.K.; Krygsman, S.C.
Rapid population growth and urbanization in South Africa exert ever more pressure on energy and transportation demand. As the South African transport sector is very reliant on fossil fuels, this may lead to increased tailpipe pollution, increased imports of fuel and pressure on the fiscus. Simultaneously, the global transition to electromobility is occurring rapidly in Asia, Europe, and the United States. South Africa lags the rest of the world with electric vehicle uptake. This paper unpacks the technical and perceived barriers that may hinder the mass uptake of electric vehicles. It furthermore assesses the opportunities in South Africa for electric vehicles and the global growth thereof. The study uses a quantitative approach to address the research objectives and uses primary and secondary data sourced using snowball sampling techniques and social media platforms to gather opinion data from experts in the automobile industry, public sector and general public. The results indicate that electric vehicle technology can lower carbon emissions, stimulate innovation, decrease the country's dependence on fossil fuel and foster economic development by lowering transport costs. Nevertheless, electric vehicle technology is associated with social, infrastructure, economic and political challenges that need to be overcome. The results further show that the higher price premium of electric vehicles cannot be offset by only lower running costs. As a result, capital subsidies, lower import tariffs and supportive transport policies are required to promote electric vehicles. The study informs consumers, automobile industries and policymakers of the implications of mass uptake of electric vehicles and the incentives required to stimulate electric vehicle update.

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