Decentralisation will play a key role in addressing Gauteng congestion and it’s a key element of the Gauteng Development Agency’s (Geda) plans for the province. Road freight currently accounts for 60% of Gauteng’s daily traffic, and to avoid the inevitable congestion issues, freight traffic needs to bypass major traffic routes on the province’s highways, says Gautrain Management Agency and Geda CEO, Jack van der Merwe. “It’s the main objective of Gauteng’s 25-year Integrated Transport Master Plan (ITMP25) in relation to the freight and logistics sector,” he said. “By 2037, the Gauteng population will have reached 18.7 million people. Sustaining this on the existing road infrastructure, without the benefit of a strong public transport system, will be impossible.” He said that the major strategic objectives of the ITMP were a reduction in road travel, a modal shift from road to rail and a major investment in technology. “Some of the interventions needed to achieve this involve the strengthening of freight hubs," he added. And it’s not just road freight that needs to be addressed. The province’s airports should be more fully utilised, he said, and the ITMP25 vision includes looking at using Wonderboom and Lanseria airports, among others, for regional flights. “This would already create alternative freight routes,” he noted.
