STATEMENT BY THE MAYORAL COMMITTEE MEMBER FOR TRANSPORT, ROADS AND STORMWATER, COUNCILLOR BRETT HERRON, ON THE STRATEGIC INTEGRATED INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS(SIP 7)
According to media reports the Minister of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs announced the Strategic Integrated Infrastructure Projects 7 (SIP 7) on Friday. The Minister identified a list of projects to be delivered under SIP 7.
The Minister also highlighted some of the priorities and values that have been used to inform which projects will be supported.
The use of the SIP 7 projects to address the persistent economic and social exclusion of poor communities, a legacy of apartheid spatial planning, and to bring about the integration of urban planning with mobility planning is consistent with the City of Cape Town's priorities and we support this wholeheartedly.
We are also very supportive of the plan to invest substantially in passenger rail services and public transport, and in particular PRASA's plan to provide rail links to under-served communities.
We are concerned, however, by the announcement of a two billion rand Airport-to-City rail link as the priority SIP 7 project for the City of Cape Town.
We are of the view that this proposed rail link is not a priority and that the stated objectives of the SIP 7 projects will be far better served investing the two billion rand in other more pressing projects. These projects will better address the economic and social inefficiencies that prevail in the city as a consequence of apartheid segregated planning.
There is far greater need for the following rail links to be implemented:
- Blue Downs rail link
- Kraaifontein-Fisantekraal passenger rail line
- Chris Hani - Somerset West link
- Philippi - Southfield / Wittebome
Adding urgent extra capacity to the Metro South East passenger rail service would be another far more deserving project.
We have done an extensive investigation of a proposed airport rail link and we are of the view that this is not justified from a strategic, economic or technical perspective at this stage, especially with regard to addressing persistent economic and social exclusion of the city's poor communities. As well as this, research conducted at the City's request indicates that rail capacity will only be required should the airport to CBD route reach 42 million passengers per year.
The current airport is designed for 15 million annual passengers (MAP), and currently operates at around 8.5 MAP. It is anticipated that a Bus Rapid Transit link will suffice for the current design capacity, but that rail may be required for the next upgrade of the airport, which could take it up to about 26 MAP. This will be confirmed and calculated in a transport impact assessment for the Airport which Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) will commission in the near future.
In addition we have already invested in a MyCiTi bus service on this route and we are in the process of growing the demand for this service. Our studies indicate that a rail service may save the passenger four minutes in travel time, against use of the BRT service, but at substantially greater cost.
We must regard this proposal as an unnecessary "glamour" project which will not address the objectives of the SIP 7 projects. We therefore recommend that COGTA reprioritises the proposed two billion rand investment into the Blue Downs corridor, which in PRASA's plan had a very similar priority.
Statement issued by Councillor Brett Herron, Mayoral Committee Member for Transport, Roads and Stormwater, City of Cape Town, May 15 2012
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