Tshwane plans to subsidise cyclists
WITHIN 20 years‚ the City of Tshwane will subsidise residents who travel to work on their bicycles to increase the number of commuters who cycle from 1% to 10%‚ the municipal roads and transport department’s Bavusile Ramekane says.
However‚ new by-laws to transform cycling into a means of commuter transport in Gauteng’s municipalities have thus far had little effect on road conditions for cyclists. In addition‚ insufficient funding for cycling infrastructure could limit some of the plans.
The lack of cycle lanes‚ concerns about traffic and personal safety and long commuting distances have kept the number of commuter cyclists below 2% in Gauteng.
Cities such as Johannesburg and Tshwane have developed their concept of “complete streets” – which will give private vehicles‚ public transport operators‚ cyclists and pedestrians equal access on main trunk routes.
None of Gauteng’s municipalities has been as effective as the City of Cape Town‚ which legislated that motorists maintain a distance of one metre from cyclists.
Cape Town also has more cycle lanes than any other city in South Africa.
Ramekane told Gauteng’s first Cycling Indaba that Tshwane will spend R91-million between now and 2016 to improve infrastructure‚ distribute bicycles to scholars and improve motorists’ awareness of cyclists. The city’s vision to introduce subsidies for cyclists within 20 years will be the ultimate game-changer‚ she said.
Ramekane said the city would achieve this by subsidising bicycles at the point of sale‚ or by absorbing the costs of maintenance and repair. — BDLive