eThekwini Municipality aims to secure land for a vital public transport facility in Umhlanga

The eThekwini Municipality is in discussions with the Department of Transport to assist in obtaining a parcel of land for the development of a Public Transport Facility (PTF) in Umhlanga.

The eThekwini Executive Committee received a report on Tuesday detailing the necessary public infrastructure upgrades identified in 2017 for the Oceans Development.

The scope of work included expanding the road network to handle the increased traffic from the new Oceans uMhlanga Development, as well as the existing traffic demand which already exceeded the capacity of the current road network, and providing a Public Transport Facility (PTF).

The estimated cost for the roads upgrade and PTF was based on the approved Traffic Road layout contained in the Spatial Planning and Land-Use Management (SPLUMA), which showed an underground public transport facility and associated link roads.

Due to changes in the scope of the envisaged public transport facility, due to funding constraints at the time, it was necessary to split the implementation of the work into two phases to allow for critical infrastructure, including the road upgrades and temporary PTF, to proceed on site while considering an alternative permanent PTF solution.

Due to the delay in the undertaking of Phase 2 to which is the provision of the alternative permanent public transport infrastructure, a temporary facility was constructed as part of the Phase 1 roadworks contract to enable the roadworks upgrade.

The report stated that the proposed alternative permanent PTF is still under consideration, and further engagements are required with public transport associations surrounding property owners. The new PTF needs to accommodate approximately 160 minibus taxis.

eThekwini Mayor Cyril Xaba said the municipality could only plan appropriately once the release of a parcel of land identified for the PTF is concluded between the Department of Transport and the South African National Roads Agency (Sanral).

“The Umhlanga area is one of the fastest development nodes. We need developments like the transport holding facility and road upgrades to accommodate the traffic in the area. There are plans to ease traffic congestion in the Umhlanga area.”

Thabani Mthethwa, DA Exco member, said the PTF must also accommodate buses, and going into the festive season, something should be done to address the cleaning of public transport vehicles in public.

Yogis Govender, DA Exco member, said that ratepayers raised the issue of buses being washed on the roadside and minibus taxis in off-street parking.

“Tourists are being chased because of these problems on the main road,” she said.

zainul.dawood@inl.co.za