The City of Cape Town is hosting information sessions about plans for a new bus facility, which will be adjacent to the Chris Hani rail station and about one kilometre from the new minibus taxi rank in Makhaza.
The new facility will be built on the corner of Walter Sisulu Road and Ngwamza Street. The City says solar panels will be installed for energy savings and to ensure operations can continue during load shedding.
The project forms part of the roll-out of the MyCiTi bus service to the metro-south east.
Mayoral committee member for urban mobility, Rob Quintas, said the implementation of the second phase of the MyCiTi bus service with routes to connect commuters from Mitchell’s Plain and Khayelitsha with Claremont and Wynberg, is well under way.
He said the MyCiTi bus service and Golden Arrow Bus Service will operate from the proposed new facility in Makhaza. It is envisioned that MyCiTi Route 11 will operate from there towards Wynberg, with a number of stops along Julius Tsholo Street, Japhta K Masemola Road, Govan Mbeki Road, New Strandfontein and Ottery Roads, and onwards.
“Commuters will find it easy to transfer between the Chris Hani train station, the minibus-taxi facility, and the bus facility, given that all of these facilities are in close proximity. Also, included in the proposed design are drop-and-go embayments along Walter Sisulu Road for minibus-taxis.
“The loading areas will be under a roof, to protect commuters from wind, sun and rain, there will be ablution facilities, and universally accessible walking lanes with dropped kerbs to improve the access to and within the facility.
”This is a very exciting project, and I call on the local community and commuters in particular, to please let us know what you think about the proposals,” said Mr Quintas.
Ward councillor Ayanda Tetani said he was excited to see the project commencing, stating that he was one of the leaders who prevented residents from occupying the land from illegal invasion before he even became the ward councillor.
He said any development that would bring change in his community is mostly welcomed and his key mission as the ward councillor is to see his ward becoming better.
He said all these efforts are meant to change the lives of the people of Makhaza for better.
Khayelitsha Development Forum (KDF) chairperson, Ndithini Tyhido, said the KDF attitude is that Khayelitsha needs an urgent, integrated, safe, accessible and affordable means of transportation.
But having said that, KDF would gladly welcome this facility if all Khayelitsha based public transporters, in this instance taxi operators, are included in this project.
Residents have until Friday June 23 to comment on the plans. Email transport.news@capetown.gov.za or submit your comments online at www.capetown.gov.za/haveyoursay or by hand to Sub-council 10, Khayelitsha Training Centre, on the corner of Lwandle and Phendula Crescents.
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