The countdown to the 2015 EcoMobility World Festival – to be hosted by the City of Johannesburg in Sandton in October – has officially begun.

As host of this global event, the City will close off certain streets to vehicles in Sandton and encourage people to walk, cycle or use public transport throughout the entire Transport Month.

The EcoMobility World Festival and Exhibition is a global biennial event hosted in a major city. The inaugural festival, organised in partnership with the Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI), was held in Suwon, South Korea, in 2013.

The Sandton Transport Management Plan

Johannesburg Executive Mayor Councillor Parks Tau warned that if people did not switch to walking, cycling or public transport, the congestion in the Sandton CBD would go from bad to worse. He said traffic would eventually grind to a halt, creating a giant parking lot.

The Executive Mayor said the City of Johannesburg, having identified this challenge a while ago, began working with the Sandton Management District, a move that culminated in the approval and implementation of the Sandton Transport Management Plan.

This plan, he said, was designed to promote behavioural change – moving from private cars to embracing non-motorised transport.

Taking the lead

“The City of Johannesburg is now taking the lead in the implementation of the plan through the introduction of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system – Rea Vaya – cycle lanes and improved public transport facilities.

“The upcoming EcoMobility Festival is part of this grand implementation plan. [The festival] is set to give the people of Johannesburg a preview of what the streets of not only a future Sandton but the rest of the city will look like with decongested traffic. This will also be a time when preference will be given to public transport, bicycles and pedestrians,” he said.

–Joburg.org.za