Courts may have to decide on BRT lane

Furious and gripped by a feeling of utter frustration, residents and businessmen vowed to fight Tshwane on its new unilateral plan for the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system in Lynnwood and Atterbury roads – even if it meant challenging the metro in the highest courts of the country.

Lawyers living in the affected areas last week said they would fight the matter pro bono on behalf of those affected, stressing that should parts of the two main east-west roads be turned into a single traffic lane in both directions for normal traffic and another for the BRT, it would result in total traffic and economic disaster for this affluent area.

The decision to reverse the initial plan to turn Atterbury Road into a three-lane road from Menlyn shopping centre to where it meets Lynnwood Road in Menlo Park and Lynnwood Road up to Loftus Versfeld – two for general traffic and one for the A Re Yeng BRT in both directions – had been met with outrage by motorists, businesses, schools and other organisations.

What made it even worse, according to Democratic Alliance (DA) ward councilor Shiobhan Muller, was that the decision to keep only two lanes for a 7km stretch in both directions – one for the BRT and a single lane for other traffic – had been taken behind closed doors without any discussion or any public participation.

The metro said the massive costs involved had been the main driver behind the decision to have only two lanes in both directions. I would cost R88 million per kiliometre to build the third lane.

Dozens of residents, business owners, residents’ organisations, schools, other institutions as well as a representative from the University of Pretoria, attended a community meeting on Wednesday night where Muller and her colleagues also vowed to do everything in their power to stop the “insanity”.

They claimed that having only one lane for general traffic on the two busy roads for a 7km stretch, would completely cut the east off from the Hatfield area, including the Gautrain, and would result in one of the biggest traffic disasters the city had ever experienced.

The DA asked residents and others affected by the unilateral Tshwane metro decision to sign a petition and show their disagreement with the plan.

“I am also calling for bilateral talks with Tshwane metro, other councillors, the provincial transport department and the national government,” Muller told a clearly upset audience at the Pro Arte School in Alphen Park.

The DA stressed that in principal they supported the BRT system, but said this part of the plan would result in a traffic disaster for the city and would mean the end of businesses in Lynnwood Road.

She said should cost be the problem as claimed, there were other options available to the metro of obtaining money through the national government’s municipal infrastructure grant.

“Otherwise they must wait until such time as they have the money,” Muller said.

Muller said the DA could only fight the decision in the council chamber, but with the ANC majority, there was a strong possibility the council may adopt the plan.

However, she had already been contacted by lawyers living in the area who had undertaken to take the matter to court should the ANC force the decision through the council.

“They would do so free of charge if need be,” Muller said, adding that the residents must show force and stand together to stop the disastrous plan.

She said the economic impact on the area would be enormous as access to Hatfield from the east would be virtually cut off, access to Loftus would be impossible and people from the east would not be able to get to the Gautrain.

The Capital City Business Chamber (CCBC) earlier agreed, saying it was in the process of surveying the opinion of businesses and other interested entities with the aim of drafting a constructive, comprehensive and all-inclusive report and suggestions to Tshwane in an attempt to convince the metro to reconsider the decision.

“We cannot allow this decision to be implemented. Atterbury and Lynnwood roads are the two main arteries for the movement of goods and services from the east to the west, and should traffic on these already congested roads be further impeded, it could have severe implications,” said CCBC chief executive officer Fanie du Plessis.

He said the CCBC, together with the Tshwane Business Forum (TBF), had an agreement with the metro to promote and market the city and to ensure the success of the city, its residents and business community.

According to Du Plessis, the TBF would conduct a survey among businesses and would then compile a report to be given to the metro soon.