Improving public transport offers the opportunity to significantly reduce transport disadvantage and its debilitating consequences. However, before starting to plan and implement strategies, the first need to have in mind is that customers need to be able to access public transport in a safe, dignified, sociable and comfortable fashion.

Almost every commuter is a pedestrian at some stage of their trip. So wWithout the first and last kilometres of access to public transport, the service will not be able to deliver on its transport equity mandate.

In 2013, the City of Johannesburg appointed SMEC-SA to undertake a Feasibility study for NMT facilities around all Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) stations, Rea Vaya, Johannesburg (from Phase 1A to C).

My role, as a sub-consultant to SMEC-SA, was to identify areas where NMT facilities should be provided around Bus Rapid Transit stations (Rea Vaya) in Johannesburg. The results of the study were also to indicate what type of facilities need to be provided per Rea Vaya station, (eg. sidewalks only, sidewalks and lay-bys, bicycle lanes, only or bicycle lanes and sidewalks, pedestrian crossings, etc).

Stations were to be ranked in terms of priority for implementing NMT facilities and provide cost estimates for such facilities. Areas with high passenger demands will be given priority followed by those linking BRT stations to key community areas.

This feasibility study comprised three main phases:

• Observation, site visits and stakeholder engagement, to determine key bicycle movement routes, in order to identify areas where facilities should be provided;
• Further stakeholder engagement to determine the nature of bicycle facilities;
• Proposed bicycle facilities.