Facts to note for EcoMobility Festival

SANDTON – With the EcoMobility Festival a few days away, residents are being provided with some important facts about the month-long event.

October 1, 2015

Khanyisile Ngcobo 1 minute read

Transport... One of the many signs around Johannesburg marking the areas for the park and ride facilities which will be available during the EcoMobility Month Festival.

The festival, which is set to run from 1 to 31 October, will see the inner area of Sandton closed to motorists and open to various modes of public transport.

Below are a few important facts from the EcoMobility Festival website that residents need to be aware of:

Parts of roads such as Fifth, Maude, West and Gwen Lane will be closed to motorists and reserved for public transport
Maude and West streets are set to be converted to ‘complete’ streets during and after the festival. This means that these streets will be broadened to accommodate pedestrians, public transport and cyclists
A public transport loop will be created along Rivonia, Fredman and Fifth streets
Motorists living and working within the affected streets will be able to park their cars at various Park and Ride facilities which will be available for the duration of the festival. These are Randburg Square, Montecasino and George Lea Park
The parking facilities will be available from 5am to 6pm and will be secure. Additionally, the City aims to make the streets safer to use and there will be a strong Metro police presence
Travelling from these facilities to the inner Sandton Central Business District can be done using various modes of public transport including Putco buses, minibuses, the Gautrain bus, bicycles and electric cars. Parking bays for bicycles will be available at various points
Travelling from point to point within Sandton can be done on tuk-tuks, pedicabs (cycle rickshaw), electric vehicles and metered taxis
Marshals and Metro police officers will maintain order within the area for the duration of the festival
Alice Lane in Sandton will be converted into a last mile service hub during the festival
Private sector partners will continue to be able to operate shuttle services along the public transport loop
The festival will also see a variety of events hosted including freedom rides, cycling events, street festivals and fun runs. These will aim to focus attention on the possibilities of using alternative forms of transport
There will also be a walking path between Sandton and Alex for pedestrians during the festival.