NEW PUBLIC TRANSPORT INTERCHANGE IN SOMERSET WEST

FEATURES

The City of Cape Town will spend approximately R65 million on the construction of a new public transport interchange (PTI) in Somerset West.

The construction of the new PTI is the biggest public investment in the central business district of the town in recent years and will give the CBD area multiple benefits for commuters, pedestrians, public transport operators and traders.

The PTI will be constructed on two different sites in the CBD: one behind the town hall and the other on the Shoprite side.

It is designed for minibus taxi operators, bus services, informal traders and commuters.

Rob Quintas

If all goes as planned, the building work will commence by the end of November 2021.

The new PTI will comprise two sites abutting Church, Andries Pretorius and Victoria Sts. Together, it will be approximately 4 000m² in size.

“Given the magnitude of this project, on which we intend to spend approximately R65 million, it will take about two years to complete,” says the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Transport, Councillor Rob Quintas.

“During this time, there’ll inevitably be an impact on all of those frequenting the area, from commuters to public transport operators, the general public, pedestrians and informal traders.” The construction will be done in phases to limit the inconvenience to them.

“We need the community, operators and traders to support the project so that we can complete the construction on time,” adds Quintas.

The PTI will include a new annexure building where operators can host meetings. The double-storey building will include an ablution facility on the ground floor. Covered waiting areas will protect commuters from sun, rain and wind, and there will be facilities for informal traders.

“The construction will also include green building elements such as rainwater harvesting, solar panels, permeable paving and LED lighting. Given climate change and our focus on environmental sustainability, all of our projects include green elements to make our infrastructure more resilient and environmentally friendly,” says Quintas.

How pedestrians will benefit from the PTI:

• All the new walking lanes will be universally accessible, with dropped kerbs and tactile paving for those with special needs.

• The upgrade of Church St will make it more pedestrianfriendly and improve the overall safety of road-users.

• The upgrades will improve traffic flow in the area.

“Town officials have hosted several meetings with interested and affected parties, including minibus taxi associations, informal traders, the local business forum, tenants and the library services. They made some changes to the initial design of the PTI. We believe the project will go a long way towards uplifting the Somerset West CBD area,” says local ward councillor Stuart Pringle.

About 300 minibus taxis will operate from the new PTI, serving numerous destinations: Lwandle, Macassar, Firgrove, Strand, Nomzamo, Sir Lowry’s Pass Town, Zola, Khayelitsha, Stellenbosch, Somerset West and surroundings, and Grabouw. The Golden Arrow bus service will also operate from the facility.

“We estimate that approximately 1 000 commuters will make use of the PTI on weekdays,” says Quintas.

GIVEN THE MAGNITUDE OF THIS PROJECT, ON WHICH WE INTEND TO SPEND APPROXIMATELY R65 MILLION, IT WILL TAKE ABOUT TWO YEARS TO COMPLETE.