DoT’s grand plan has to answer some serious questions

In a recent presentation to a parliamentary committee, the department of transport has unveiled its national transport master plan, 2050 (Natmap). This, it said, was “a plan to develop a dynamic, long term, sustainable land use/ multi-modal transportation systems framework for the development of network infrastructure facilities, interchange termini facilities and service delivery”. The department’s consultants on the project advised that it was a vision “which could result in a transport system that was equitable to all stakeholders, met international standards and was technologically sustainable”. But, despite the grand presentation, the master plan faced some serious questioning from the committee. Recorded in the minutes, for example, was the committee chairman’s comment on the current co-ordination of the country’s transport network. He said that a recent household survey had shown that public transport was not well co-ordinated in terms of the linkages between road, rail and air travel. He also expressed concern about what he termed Natmap’s “seeming insensitivity to the plight of the poor”, and questioned if it had been crafted with poverty reduction in mind. The chairman also cast doubts on whether Natmap had the ability to achieve the transformation of the taxi industry by making this a formal economy and removing it from the periphery of economic development. As an answer to this, the department pointed out that its presentation “stressed the need for integrated transport networks and the need for forward planning that took into account the situation of all South Africans, including the poor, in developing infrastructure”. The committee also questioned whether Natmap was feasible when it came to capital resources and funding, and also requested an explanation of the role that would be played by Transnet infrastructure in the implementation of the plan’s development projects. The department said there was “a need to unwind the unequal delivery legacy with respect to passenger transportation and cost recovery,” and that the master plan had “strategies in place for addressing these”. It added that SA was a developing economy and it relied on competitively priced freight and passenger mobility to be globally competitive. The department highlighted that the presentation outlined the details of proposed new institutions, changes to existing institutions and Natmap’s funding mechanism. It also pointed out that information was provided on the funding requirements of Natmap’s national and provincial projects – which the department estimated at R261-million and R515-m respectively. Looking at the role played by the National Planning Commission (NPC) the committee asked the department to explain how Natmap’s vision and strategic direction were shared by other structures of government. In its briefing to the committee, the department said that a particular point amongst the financial and legal issues was “institutional fragmentation”. This, it added, hindered coherence and focus by the department on policy formulation and strategic planning.