Category: Events

You are invited to the ‘Tour de Diepsloot’

JUCA warmly invites all to join a bicycle tour of Diepsloot, to raise awareness of cycling as a mode of transport and community development. The ride dubbed the Tour de Diepsloot will take place from 9am on Sunday the 8th of November 2015.

Diepsloot has one of the highest concentration of commuter cyclists in Johannesburg. Yet till recently the presence of this flow of commuter cyclists has remained ‘unseen’ on the roads and in non-motorised policy initiatives. In this regard, we are delighted that Gauteng MEC for Transport, Ismail Vadi, will be joining the ride as he did recently.

Diepsloot also has an emerging network of community assets such as parks, recycling centres and now an Arts Precinct. On the day of the ride, the Arts Precinct will be officially opening. Come view the wonderful works on display. Refreshments will also be available.

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The tour will start at Diesploot Mall by William Nicol Drive at 9am. The route is an easy 6.6 kilometres with the slowest riders setting the pace. It will end back at the Mall.

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If you are travelling from far with bicycle(s) in car, safe parking is available at the Diesploot Mall. We look forward to seeing you there.

 

 

 

MEC, Ismail Vadi, Rides in Solidarity with Diepsloot Bike-Train

On Monday morning, the 12th of October, Gauteng, MEC for Transport, Ismail Vadi joined a Bike-Train travelling from Diepsloot southwards.

The MEC had accepted an invitation extended by JUCA to support the hundreds of everyday cyclists who live in and around Diepsloot with William Nicol Drive as their main travel corridor.

Without a doubt across Johannesburg, there is no other corridor as William Nicol Drive that features as many people using bicycles as a main form of transport. However this road is very unfriendly to cyclists and pedestrians. As we witnessed, motorists behave as though people walking or cycling do not exist edging them off the road and pavements. Accidents are not uncommon.

 

The purpose of the bike-train was to increase the visibility of the many cyclists to motorists and motivate for increased policy attention. In this regard, JUCA and MEC agreed that following the ride;

  1. The office of the MEC will organise a count of pedestrians and cyclists using the William Nicol Drive corridor
  2. Review existing and proposed bicycle lane designs to ensure they offer full protection to cyclists and pedestrians
  3. Organise a social bike ride within Diesploot that will raise awareness about the role of the bicycle in everyday transport and community development

Gauteng Transport MEC Ismail Vadi to ride in Solidarity with Diepsloot’s Ecomobility Champions

Early on Monday morning the 12th of October, Gauteng Transport MEC, Ismail Vadi will join a bike train of cyclists leaving from their homes in Diepsloot to various places of work across Johannesburg.

In support of the EcoMobility World Festival, JUCA and the City of Johannesburg have been organising bike trains to ferry people together to and from various destinations. Bike-trains are convoys of people riding their bicycles together to and from whatever destinations they choose.

Each day, hundreds of Ecomobility Champions who live in and around Diepsloot ‘arrange’ their own bike-trains. However they do so within a hostile road environment. There have over time been reports of accidents some of them very serious. Motorists travelling on one of the routes preferred by the Ecomobility Champions because it offers direct connections from home to work and back – William Nicol Drive – travel at high speeds and often edge them off the road.

 

 

In this light, JUCA is calling for practical steps to improve the travel experience of Diepsloots’ Ecomobility Champions. These include:

  • Traffic calming
    • We would like to see law enforcement to ensure motorists observe speed limits and a minimum passing distance of 1.5 metres from cyclists
  • Development of protected bicycle lanes
    • We would like best in class in protected bicycle lanes developed along the routes that the Ecomobility Champions use.

Cyclists will converge at Diepsloot Mall to commence the ride. The MEC will join the cyclists at the corner of Erling Road and William Nicol Drive and ride with them for part of their journey onwards to the Indaba Hotel. At the Hotel, the MEC will briefly interact with the cyclists and engage media. Click here for the ride map.

We will post an update following the solidarity ride.

The bike trains are back: calling for bike train leaders

JUCA is calling once again for bike train leaders to lead bike trains to and from Sandton and other neighbourhoods in support of the Ecomobility World Festival 2015.

During this festival which takes place October 2015, Jozi residents will be encouraged to travel by bicycle, walk or use public transport in any suitable combination.

Like the April 22nd Ride2WorkDay, people will be riding bicycles together to and from various neighbourhoods. A bike train leader will have regular experience commuting by bicycle in the streets of Johannesburg and will therefore offer guidance to people who may not be so confident.

The bike trains will start by the end of September 2015 and run every day in October 2015.

The idea is simple:
1. Identify a street intersection or landmark from where to start the Bike-Train.

2. Indicate a time where people can meet you. We suggest 8am but this is up to the Bike-Train Leader.

3. Identify a direct and car traffic light route suitable for novice riders. We suggest routes contained in the Johannesburg Commuter Bicycle Map. However there may be other more suitable routes.

4. Indicate on what day(s) you may be able to lead a train starting from the 25th of September (only that Friday) and every day of the week in October 2015.

5. Get in touch with us contact@juca.org.za with the above information.
We will publicize this information as we did before something like this and through the Ecomobility World Festival programme in partnership with the City of Johannesburg.

The Ecomobility World Festival will be an exciting month for cycling and other forms of sustainable transport.

Come out and show that a different way of getting around Joburg is possible.

 

Information on Bike Train Leaders for Ride2WorkDay

Here is a table of Bike-Trains that will be travelling on Ride2WorkDay – 22 April 2015.

Feel free to join any of them for all or part of their routes. Happy cycling.

RouteRoute MapMeeting PointDeparture TimeBike Train Leader
Bedfordview to SandtonClick hereOutside Italian Sporting Club730am so arrive sometime beforeAndrew
Brixton to Forest TownClick hereCorner High Street and Ripley Road8am so arrive sometime beforeMuhammed
Brixton to BraamfonteinBrixton down along new bicycle lane on Enoch Sontonga on new bike laneCorner of Caroline and Symonds roads8am so arrive sometime beforeMehita
Cresta to SandtonClick hereCresta – Engen garage corner Judges and Republic7am so arrive sometime beforeWarren & Nuren
Emmarentia to RichmondClick hereDelta Park along Braamfontein Spruit730am so arrive sometime beforeJames
Johannesburg CBD to Wits Main CampusThrough Park Station and BraamfonteinRahima Mousa Street (Jeppe Street) and Joubert Street 830am so arrive sometime beforeGilles
Melville to Wits Main CampusBack routes all the way to campus entering Wits via Yale RoadCorner of 4th and 7th, outside De La Creme bakery8am so arrive sometime beforeNicky
Montgomery Park to SandtonMostly along the, Braamfontein SpruitCorner of Beyers Naude and Preller Drive745am so arrive sometime beforeLawrence
Northcliff to Wits Main CampusLinden, Greenside, Parkview, Westcliff to WitsVerdi Shopping Center, Corner Verdi Ave. and Vincent Road 615am so arrive sometime beforeBenjamin
Parkhurst to Wits Education Campus
Click hereOutside Jolly Roger's Parkhurst730am so arrive sometime beforeJoshua
Parkview to BryanstonQuiet convenient routesFirst pick up point (Corner Wicklow and Westcliff drive) and Second pick up point (7th ave and 3rd ave Parktown North)First pick up point @645 am and Second pick up point @705amDave
Parkview to Wits Education CampusThrough WestcliffCroft Coffee Shop8am so arrive sometime beforeStephanie
Soweto to Johannesburg CBDOrlando stadium junction6am so arrive sometime beforeRaymond
Sunninghill to SandtonSunninghill via The Braamfontein Spruit to Sandton GautrainChilli Lane Shopping Centre, Sunninghill 630am so arrive sometime beforeShaun