“What I strive for as a civil engineer is to make a difference. If I can help make some peoples’ journeys home 10 minutes shorter, which gives them 10 minutes more with their families, then I have made a huge difference,” says Lize de Beer, manager traffic and transportation: North at GIBB.

Born in Pretoria and raised in the Free State, De Beer knew she wanted to be a civil engineer from a tender age.

“As a young child, I would sit in the water run-off after a typical Highveld thunderstorm and build little dams. I suppose my dad being a mechanical engineer also played a role. I remember hanging around in his workshop while he was tinkering around,” she recalls.

De Beer studied for two degrees simultaneously at the University of Johannesburg, a BSc in Mathematical Science and a BEng Civil, something she was able to do by taking on additional math’s subjects. On completing her studies, she joined Jeffares& Green in 1997 as an engineering consultant.

After being registered as a professional engineer in 2002, she joined GIBB. Over the next 11 years, she moved through the ranks from engineer and senior engineer, to senior associate and now in her current role as manager traffic and transportation: North, De Beer is responsible for the day-to-day operational management of a team of 12 people in Gauteng and Bloemfontein.

Working in a predominantly male-dominated environment has never presented problems for De Beer.

“I’m fairly assertive and I think being technically strong helps boost my credibility. I also think I’m quite straightforward and people who work with me know where they stand,” she says.

At GIBB, De Beer works on a diverse range of projects.

“One of the most exciting projects I’ve been involved with recently, is the Gauteng 25-year Integrated Transport Master Plan. The project has given us an excellent understanding of the various transport planning initiatives on the cards over the next 25 years; the gaps that have been identified; and the opportunity to provide input as to where we see the province going in that period.

“While 2037 may sound a long way off, it is not that far away in engineering terms. It is good to be in a position to see the bigger picture and be able to connect the dots. Many transport projects are done in isolation, especially at the metropolitan level. The cities tend to focus on their own transport problems without sometimes acknowledging that communities are not cognisant of municipal boundaries,” statesDe Beer.

GIBB’s transport team has also been involved with the Gautrain project since its conceptualization in1999 and continues to do adhoc work on it.

“Gautrain’s demand for parking has exceeded expectations and GIBB is currently conducting a study to determine where additional parking can be provided at existing stations and on some of the feeder routes,” explainsDe Beer.

In addition, GIBB is conducting a sustainability study for the third stage of Rea Vaya (Bus Rapid Transport) and its roll out along Louis Botha Avenue.

“We’re assessing the most sustainable way to provide a good service in the linking of the CBD to Alexandra and Alexandra to Sandton,” addedDe Beer.

De Beer enjoys the variety of the wide range of projects GIBB gets involved in. “Something different, which illustrates the range of work we do at GIBB, is a feasibility study, we recently conducted on mountain bike trails in the Cradle of Humankind area.”

On industry trends, De Beer says the largest issue at the moment is the consolidation of smaller engineering firms into larger ones.

“There is a significant influx of international firms into our industry, most of them with an eye on Africa. This makes the industry highly competitive.”

Another noticeable and worrying trend is for clients to skimp on the initial planning stages of a project in an attempt to save money.

“This may result in a small overall saving in the beginning, but you’re really putting yourself at the risk of wasting large money in the implementation stages because you haven’t taken the time to work through all the options and alternatives open to you,” remarksDe Beer.

“Another trend I’ve noticed is a general increase in the use of technology. We are moving towards more open real-time data type applications, which are highly relevant to our industry – especially as intelligent transport systems become a reality,” she adds.

De Beer predicts more collaboration between industry sectors in the future.

“With urban densification the move is definitely towards more sustainable transport solutions. For us, it means new urban forms, more dense land use. It will hopefully mean improved integration between different functions. So, when Gauteng is rolling out its new infrastructure, transport doesn’t work on its own, but collaborates with housing and other infrastructure departments. This will ensure the maximisation of spend and solutions that are more sustainable.”

She doesn’t expect it to be automatic and easy.

“There are institutional aspects that will need to be addressed. The importance of informal transport systems will become quite a significant factor in future years. We’ll need to address the further formalisation and corporatisation of the taxi industry, which will continue to play an important role. We may not have the resources to fund the type of dense formal public transport service provision that we see in developed countries, but that is no excuse not to at least ensure we regulate the informal industry to improve standards of quality and safety, complimenting formal public transport,” she maintains.