A route towards sustainable transport in South Africa

Abstract

Over the last 30 years the South African transport fraternity was to some extent overwhelmed by transport acts, policy white papers, strategies, various studies and the development of integrated transport plans at provincial and municipal spheres of government. The latter recommended numerous projects of which only a few materialised in practice. The implementation of these policies, strategies and plans, or actually the lack thereof, didn?t really contribute materially to the vision that transport is the heartbeat of South Africa?s economic growth and social development. Also, it did not lead to the development of integrated and efficient transport systems. The paper postulates that transport in South Africa does not have the right ?DNA? and suggests a route towards sustainable transportation for South Africa by 2030. The ?route? is described in the paper by means of: ? The definition and ideal DNA composition of sustainable transport; ? Proposed direction to connect the vision and objectives with strategic actions which are required to achieve sustainable transport; and ? Identification of possible ?roadblocks? along the route and ?construction? that may be needed to arrive at the destination.