Mayor speaks about Corridors of Freedom initiative

These were the words of the City of Johannesburg’s (CoJ) executive mayor, Clr Mpho Parks Tau, regarding the city’s Corridors of Freedom initiative at his recent State of the City address.

This initiative, said to be one that is aimed at transforming the city to establish a “people-centred city where safety, comfort and economic well-being are placed at the core of planning and delivery processes”, was launched last year.

This initiative has been discussed at several public meetings by officials in suburbs such as Cyrildene and Kensington over the past few months, however, several people are unsure of exactly what this plan entails.

According to documentation about this project, the aim of the Corridors of Freedom initiative is to provide well-planned transport arteries linked to interchanges where the emphasis will be on mixed-use development, high-density accommodation, office buildings, retail development, leisure and recreation.

Height and density will decrease as it moves away from the centre of each node. Social infrastructure, schools, clinics and police stations will be strategically located to support the population.

The city wants to create areas which will allow people to live closer to their place of employment. Instead of using private, motorised transport, people would have access to buses, cycling routes and pedestrian walkways.

The city believes its Corridors of Freedom will result in reduced poverty for the majority of people who are spending a large percentage of their income on transport.

During his address, Clr Tau emphasised the city’s intention is to address what the National Development Plan refers to as “the challenge of apartheid geography.”

“Our primary tool in our spatial transformation is the spending of capital funds on public transport, infrastructure, public environment upgrading and social housing. This infrastructure investment shifts perceptions about an area, creates an identity and then leads to increased private sector interest and private-public sector partnerships.

“For example in the Empire-Perth corridor, we are working actively with communities and partners, such as the University of Johannesburg and Wits, to improve the safety and attractiveness along the streets,” he said. The city aims to create a safe student and retail precinct at Campus Square, improve the urban environment in Auckland Park and the public environment in Westbury.

“Along the Louis Botha Corridor, we are working on similar partnerships in Wynberg, Marlboro and Orange Grove/Norwood. In addition, we are introducing Rea Vaya infrastructure to be followed by investment in schools, clinics and a range of housing options,” said the mayor.

The city has already started construction of infrastructure for the third phase of Rea Vaya. This includes:

r 16 kilometres of new Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) trunk infrastructure along Louis Botha Avenue and Katherine Street and 10 new stations.

r An underground public transport interchange at the Wynberg Bridge.

r 31km of public environment upgrade in Alexandra as part of our Complete Streets initiative.

r Accommodation for more than 10 000 people walking between Alexandra and the Sandton CBD and 5,2 kilometres of walking and cycling lanes including a bridge over the M1.

r A new transport system in the Sandton CBD to allow seamless integration between the Gautrain station, walking, cycling, Rea Vaya, mini bus taxis and other bus services.

@JoziReporter