‘SA’s transport projects on a par with the rest of the world’

South Africa is in the midst of a transport revolution, the impact of which will be felt for decades to come, said Dr Paul Vorster, chief executive officer of Intelligent Transport Systems South Africa (ITSSA). Addressing the monthly Transport Forum in Woodmead, Johannesburg last week, Dr Vorster said transport was top of the country’s agenda with worldclass projects under way. “Due to the country not having a legacy system, we can leapfrog right to the top and implement transport systems that are new, state-of-the art and modern, and that suit our specific conditions and needs. We can therefore ensure new technology is brought into our transport systems as we don’t have to invest in an old system.” Dr Vorster, who recently attended the ITS meeting in New York in the US, said South Africa compared well with the rest of the world. “What is currently under construction, in the pipeline or already in existence is right up there with the rest of the world.” He said projects like Gautrain, the Metrorail Soweto/ Johannesburg train and the upgrading of freeways were all examples of the excellent work in progress in South Africa. He said much of the ongoing projects were aimed at the movement of people ahead of the 2010 Fifa World Cup and while not all would be ready, transport had become a priority again. “The development of a public transport system is key as is restoring rail to its rightful place in the system. We are seeing a modern network being developed that is better balanced and includes a variety of different modes of transport.” Dr Vorster said billions of rands were being pushed into the development of transport – an area that had been neglected for many years. “Until three years ago we refused to acknowledge that we had a problem in this country – not only have we admitted it, but we are taking big steps in the right direction to solve the problem.”