Joburg mayor Tau rides the EcoMobility talk

Commuters in Johannesburg should not be surprised to find themselves alongside mayor Parks Tau when he raises his index finger to flag down a minibus taxi in October.

Tau has already traded his usual ride for the Gautrain, a bicycle, Metrobus ride and shuttles between the city centre, Sandton and his home in the south of Joburg.

And he had a spring in his step when the Sunday Times caught up with him in Sandton, on his way to Soweto.

“I met people I had not seen in a very long time. I also got feedback from other commuters about what needed to be improved on the Metrobus system,” he said.

“We need to speed up the process creating an integrated ticketing system, because you literally have to keep your wallet full of different tickets for different modes of transport.”

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Tau said the highlight for him so far has been his Metrobus trip from the south of the city to Gandhi Square in the inner city, en route to Sandton.

Next, Tau wants to get the experience of boarding a taxi in the city during rush hour.

“I am looking forward to doing this in the coming days.”

Tau said that he was testing out different cycling routes to work for the best one, addign while it was much easier once he enterd the inner city it became more of a chalenge to navigate.

Tau has made a pledge to use public transport whenever possible and said he is finding not having to be behind the wheel a lot less stressful.

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According to the mayor, the first week of the EcoMobility Festival has shown that a sustainable transport strategy can be implemented in the city.

Tau said Sandton’s EcoMobility Festival is giving residents a taste of what the city might look like in the coming years and how they would eventually be able to move around just using public transport.

“By end of the week about 400 cars were counted at our park and ride facilities alone, while the Gautrain recorded an 8% increase in usage.

“We put this concept to the test in our busiest and most commercially active precinct and witnessed public participation increase daily,” he said.

Plans for the future in Johannesburg include a better-planned integrated transport system and mixed-use property developments that would enable residents to live, work and play within a reasonable distance.