22/03/2015: Global festival will turn Sandton into ecomobile space
Residents of Johannesburg will get a preview of a greener transport future when the City hosts a major international festival in October.
Large sections of the Sandton CBD will be turned into an “EcoMobile neighbourhood with certain road closed off for most private cars and the hosting of a range of activities where the focus will on bicycles and pedestrian activity.
The EcoMobility World Festival and Exhibition is a global event hosted in a major international city. The first festival organised in partnership with Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI) was held in Suwon, South Korea in 2013. Motivating why the City is hosting the festival, Johannesburg’s Executive Mayor, Cllr Mpho Parks Tau, says the City “wants to show that an ecomobile future is possible and that public transport, walking and cycling can be accessible, safe and attractive.”
Major long-term changes to transport patterns are envisaged for Sandton and the Festival will offer residents and visitors to the suburb with a glimpse of a future where public transport takes precedence and infrastructure is in place to encourage walking and cycling.
The City’s objectives during the month-long festival are to:
• encourage behavioural changed by showing that car-free methods of transport – walking, cycling and public transport – are achievable and have many positive impacts on commuters and the environment;
• envisage the future by showing what the Sandton CBD and surrounding areas will look like once alternative transport infrastructure has been introduced;
• contribute to making Johannesburg a cycling-friendly city through profiling dedicated cycling lanes and leisure events such as the Freedom Ride between Sandton and Alexandra;
• create awareness about the positive contribution that sustainable transport can make to mitigate climate change and create a future for coming generations; and
• showcase Johannesburg’s initiatives to promote clean, sustainable transport and reduce harmful carbon emissions.
The City’s Executive Director for Transport, Lisa Seftel, says the Festival in October will also include a wide-range of fun-filled activities aimed at residents and visitors to show that roads are infrastructure that must serve entire communities rather than only private car users. Cycle rides and fun runs will take place in this period while pop-up parks, restaurants, food stalls and entertainment stands will be located on the roads that are being closed for normal traffic.
A section will be demarcated as a test track where members of the public can ride on ecomobility vehicles that have been introduced in other cities in the world such as tuk-tuks, pedicabs and electric vehicles. Businesses and organisations will be able to participate in corporate go-kart events on Fridays and children will benefit from inter-active road safety programmes over the weekends.
Activities to encourage healthy living such as daily walks, aerobics and leisure cycling will be hosted on the sealed-off streets while street artists, musicians and buskers will display their talent and entertain the large numbers of people who will walk or cycle in Sandton rather than use their private cars.
Ms Seftel says there will also be a number of international EcoMobility Dialogues where stakeholders, members of the public and international organisations will discuss and debate what it takes to achieve an eco-mobile future and the role of transport in climate change. Ms Seftel says plans for the street closures and activities will be drawn up in close consultation with affected stakeholders including residents, business owners and public transport operators. A transport management plan for the Festival will be implemented and alternative arrangements for private vehicles, deliveries and public transport introduced.
The City is calling on business organisations, NGOs and transport stakeholders to partner with the City to make this event a success. For more information visit www.joburg.org.za ; http://www.ecomobilityfestival.org or watch the documentaries at http://www.theurbanidea.com/festivalfilms.html
