The Gauteng City-Region Observatory (GCRO) comes together each year to present the findings of their research on development in the area.
At the State of the Gauteng City-Region Review held on 25 October at Wits University, the observatory explored some of the trends affecting the people, environment, economy and governance of Gauteng.
Transport has played a major role in shaping of the city-region. Demands for reliable, efficient, and tourist-friendly public transport have resulted in the construction of large-scale public transport interventions such as the Gautrain, and Johannesburg Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) networks.
The study found that expensive fares and rude drivers/passengers are considered the most significant public transport problems by taxi users in Johannesburg (14%) followed by unreliability of the service (13%) and reckless driving (12%).
It also showed that cars (33 % of trips) and taxis (50% of trips) are now the dominant mode of transport in the city-region. Buses and trains account for less than 8% of all trips. However, this sector should play a more important role in the next few years with significant public investments in the overhaul of rail infrastructure and the introduction of BRT services such as Rea Vaya in the Gauteng metro areas.
Details: The GCRO has put together an interactive website that uses maps, graphs and diagrams to review the trends affecting people in the city-region. View it at www.gcro.ac.za/stateofgcr
