EKURHULENI has designed a public transport network that will make it easier and safer for people living with disabilities to travel.
In the days leading up to International Day of Persons with Disabilities on December 3, MMC for Roads and Transport, Thumbu Mahlangu, spoke to over 300 people with special needs about the distinct features the new IRPTN (integrated rapid public transport network) boasts to cater for people living with disabilities.
Mahlangu was addressing the audience during a session at Kempton Park City Hall, where the metro invited organisations that care for and work with people with disabilities to share the vision of the city.
The IRPTN is an integrated public transport system that will offer all commuters access to various modes of transport, to be operational in 2016.
“A city that can provide affordable services that are safe, easy to use and accessible to all its citizens, is a city that is serving its people and Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality’s transport service is moving towards this goal. We are proud that our transport system will be used by all people, including people with disabilities, the elderly, people who are physically and visually impaired and generally those who have special needs,” Mahlangu said.
The new transport system will include features such as ramps, bridges, lifts and signage for travellers using wheelchairs; audio buttons, tactile paving and special lettering for easy convenience for blind commuters.
The IRPTN will integrate buses, trains and taxis to ensure that Ekurhuleni residents have access to all the public facilities, including hospitals, clinics, schools, universities, places of work, shopping centres, transport hubs, and the airport, among other things.
Along with upgrading existing ranks and stations, the metro is introducing a Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) system with dedicated road lanes and stations to prioritise the needs of commuters.
Ekurhuleni Transport Planning and Provision HOD, Yolisa Mashilwane, said the IRPTN was part of the city’s efforts to ensure that the metro’s infrastructure, through its transport system, supported the long term growth of the business sector and its people.
She explained that some of the universal access features of the IRPTN include tactile and audio signage at intersections, stops and stations; ramps that allows people in wheelchairs or with prams to board buses smoothly; bridges and lifts at busy intersections to assist people with disabilities to cross; signage with raised lettering and at a height for wheelchairs; well-lit and CCTV monitored stations.
The IRPTN will be operational as of 2016 and will spread throughout the metro.
The network will be made up of five phases with the first route running from Tembisa via Kempton Park, OR Tambo International Airport, Boksburg and ending in Vosloorus.
