Money for roads and public transport

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STATEMENT BY THE CITY’S MAYORAL COMMITTEE MEMBER FOR URBAN MOBILITY, COUNCILLOR ROB QUINTAS

The City of Cape Town’s Urban Mobility Directorate is prioritising the construction of new roads, general road maintenance and new infrastructure for public transport services over the next three financial years.

All-in-all, the City’s Urban Mobility Directorate will spend nearly R6,4 billion on capital projects over the next three financial years, with nearly R1,4 billion budgeted for 2022/23 alone.

Capital projects relate to investment in new infrastructure to ensure commuters, goods, and services can keep on moving in Cape Town. Thus, this is money to be spent on new roads, traffic signals, congestion relief projects, new facilities for buses and minibus-taxis, and infrastructure related to the roll-out of the MyCiTi service in the metro-south east.

The directorate is prioritising the following for the next financial year:

  • New infrastructure for the roll-out of the MyCiTi service in the metro-south east: R667 million
  • New public transport facilities, among which minibus-taxi facilities: R99 million
  • Projects to relief congestion: R192 million
  • Reconstruction of metro roads: R38,5 million
  • Rehabilitation of roads: R90,6 million
  • New sidewalks, cycle lanes, and improved universal access: R29,6 million
  • New stops and stations along existing MyCiTi bus routes: R12,5 million

The bulk of the operating budget for the next financial year will be spent on:

  • Operating the MyCiTi bus service: R629 million
  • Operating the Dial-a-Ride service: R44 million
  • Maintenance of roads, stormwater infrastructure, traffic signals, and new buses: R870 million
  • Safety, cleaning, and maintenance of minibus-taxi facilities: R159 million

Where and how we intend to spend our budget clearly demonstrate our priorities for the new financial year. We want to ensure Capetonians have safe and durable roads with working traffic signals, and that we keep on expanding our road capacity to address congestion; operate a world-class MyCiTi service with proper facilities; commuters have access to clean and safe public transport facilities; and that we provide for the future needs of our residents by planning ahead for the roll-out of the MyCiTi service to the metro-south east.

I am confident that this budget will provide us with the necessary strategies to achieve our vision of a more liveable, connected and mobile city.