POLOKWANE – The municipality confirmed last week that the Integrated Rapid Public Transport (IRPT) system would be fully operational in the 2016/17 financial year.
The central point will be in Church Street and a proposal was submitted to the municipality that Church Street be turned into a Transit Mall, a feature that will be part of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system, which also includes other elements of the municipality’s Non-Motorised Transport (NMT) plan.
Tidimalo Chuene, municipal spokesperson, said an additional aspect of the system would be the location of a bus station in Thabo Mbeki Street next to the civic centre, which will cater for any overflow of passengers from the station in Church Street.
“The dedicated trunk route, along Nelson Mandela Drive is the backbone of the system, it will run between the Central Business District (CBD) of Polokwane and Seshego.
“This dedicated trunk route will be supported by trunk extensions and feeder routes to maximise the overall coverage.
“The feeder routes will transport passengers on a loop basis to and from the two stations, one in town and the other in Seshego.
“The areas that will be impacted by the system are wards eight to 14 and wards 20 to 23,” Chuene said.
She said residents would benefit from an efficient and effective public transport system that is affordable, safe, fast, reliable and environmentally friendly.
According to Chuene, the upgrading and rehabilitation of the road infrastructure and related road works will be of benefit for all road users in the city.
“The NMT element of the system will also be implemented for the benefit of non-vehicle users in the city who are currently over 45% of all commuters.
“The city beautification and general environmental rehabilitation within the city will go a long way to address these elements of the city’s 2030 vision for a smarter environment. Specific benefits will also entail improved safety, convenience, comfort, affordability and universal access,” Chuene said.
The municipality confirmed that construction started in earnest during the accelerated road infrastructure programme in the 2013/14 financial year.
“The second phase of construction started in October and the municipality plan to commence operations of the service in the 2016/17 financial year.
“The municipality is committed to continuous stakeholder engagement and will continue consultations throughout the implementation of the project up until its commissioning,” Chuene said.
