2010-01-18: City of Joburg receives sustainable transport award at Washington DC award ceremony
ON Tuesday 12th January, the City of Johannesburg received a first place Honorable Mention" for the 2010 Sustainable Transport Award by the Institute for Transport and Development Policy (ITDP) for the successful implementation of the first phase of Rea Vaya, Africa's first bus rapid transit (BRT) system. The overall winner of the award was the Janmarg system from Ahmedabad, India.
The Sustainable Transport Award is given each year to a city that uses transport innovations to increase mobility for residents, reduces transportation greenhouse and air quality emissions and improves pedestrian and cyclist safety and access. They are awarded during the annual Transportation Research Board meeting in Washington, D.C.
"We are humbled and honoured that the Rea Vaya BRT system received international recognition so soon after its launch by an eminent international institution like the ITDP," said Rehana Moosajee, the MMC for Transport in the City of Joburg.
"It is a tribute to the determination of the Executive Mayor and the political leadership of our City for remaining committed to responding to the long standing call by communities for improvements in public transport and the transformation of historic ownership trends in the public transport arena. Rea Vaya is also one of the Mayoral legacy projects that aims to leave legacy beyond the 2010 FIFA World Cup"
"This award is testimony to the unwavering dedication, commitment and courage of a vast variety of stakeholders: other spheres of government, Johannesburg taxi industry leaders, public transport operators, commuter organizations, the men and women who have worked tirelessly to plan and build the infrastructure, political parties and civil society organizations amongst others. This accolade belongs to all of them."
The ITDP was founded in 1985 and has become one of the world's leading organisations in the promotion of environmentally sustainable and equitable transportation policies and projects worldwide. The ITDP selection committee is composed of the leading international institutions working in the field of sustainable transport. The award for Johannesburg was received on behalf of the city by the Honourable Johnny Moloto, the Deputy Chief of Mission in the Embassy for the Republic of South Africa.
"The City of Johannesburg completed an extraordinary project with the implementation of the first phase of its bus rapid transit system, Rea Vaya" said Enrique Penalosa, the President of the ITDP.
This is an incredibly important precedent and the City of Johannesburg should be proud to be a leader in sustainable transport both in Africa and the world," he added.
"In less than three years, Johannesburg opened a state-of-the-art BRT system that uses the cleanest buses on the continent," said Manfred Breithaupt of GTZ and one of the judges.
The four other nominees for the 2010 Sustainable Transport Award were the 2010 winner Ahmedabad, India, for the implementation of Janmarg, India's first true BRT system; Curitiba, Brazil, for continuing its longstanding tradition of sustainable transport by opening a new and radically innovative bus rapid transit line; Cali, Colombia, for the ambitious transformation of citywide bus service, with the initial corridor of the Mio System; and Guadalajara, Mexico, for the successful implementation of a BRT system in less than two years and at an affordable cost.
For the first time in the six year history of the Sustainable Transport Awards, all nominees were cities from developing nations.
The selection committee includes the most respected experts and organizations working internationally on sustainable transportation with representatives from: Institute for Transportation and Development Policy; Environmental Defense Fund; Transportation Research Board Committee on Transportation in Developing Countries; Clean Air Initiatives for Asia (hosted by the Asian Development Bank); Clean Air Initiatives for Africa (hosted by UNEP); GTZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit); EMBARQ, The World Resources Institute Center for Sustainable Transport; International Association of Public Transport (UITP); and United Nations Centre for Regional Development (UNCRD).
Issued by:
City of Johannesburg
Enquiries:
Nthatisi Modingoane
Deputy Director: Communications
CITY OF JOHANNESBURG
Tel: (011) 407 7354
Fax: 403 3494
Cell: 082 467 9228
E-mail: nthatisem@joburg.org.za