Cyclists, pedestrians to be accomodated

The pedestrian and bicycle lanes along Nelson Mandela Drive will be completed soon.

Municipal spokesperson, Matshidiso Mothapo said these lanes were part of the non-motorised transport project. He said a pedestrian study was conducted in 2009 by a company called Arup, which showed that Nelson Mandela Drive saw a larger number of pedestrians daily than any other street in Polokwane.

“The project will consist of segregated cycle lanes as well as pedestrian lanes. The path will be wide enough for people in wheelchairs to pass each other, while the bicycle lane will be separate for safety reasons. A non-mountable curb between the cycle lane and pedestrian path will ensure safety,” he said

This is a pilot project funded by the department of environmental affairs in partnership with KFW Construction. For this programme, three cities were chosen: Polokwane, Johannesburg and Ethekwini, and the budget allocated during this financial year is R7,5 million.

The project is planned to cover Polokwane to Seshego, but the current phase will cover a total length of 4kms ending just before Legae la Batho. The project is set to have the first phase completed at the end of November and is currently at 80% completion.