Public transport interchanges as positive urban living environments

Abstract

Urban environments are by their very nature vastly complex with regard to the way they operate and how they perform in terms of quality of life. The influence of public transportation on the urban environment was highlighted by the erstwhile South African Minister of Transport, Mr Abdulah Mohamed Omar (Department of Transport 1999) when he said that in order to ensure sustainable urban environments, public transportation needs to be the preferred mode of motorised transportation in our cities. In order for this target to be reached, as set by the Minister, it is clearly necessary that the public transportation system operates at its optimal level and that existing deficiencies be identified and addressed. One typical, under-achieving element in the public transportation systems of cities in the developing world is in fact the Public Transport Interchange (PTI). The quality of PTls and their surrounding urban environments has been seriously neglected and ignored in the past. Evidence strongly suggests that PTls have the potential to provide fundamental preconditions for social and economic development locally and in some instances in the wider metropolitan context. For this potential to be realised, a set of performance measures needs to be identified specifically for PTls as an evaluating tool and to guide upgrades and new developments. However, before such performance measures can be proposed, a full understanding of what a positive urban living environment could be in the context of PTls, needs to be developed. In summary, the objective of this research project is to address the existing shortcomings associated with Public Transport Interchanges by setting performance indicators for evaluating and developing PTls in the developing world context, with specific emphasis on Cape Town, South Africa.