Month: August 2013

Where are Johannesburg’s Cycle Lanes?

The map here shows the existing cycle lanes in Johannesburg as far as we know. By this we mean official dedicated lanes whether on-street or separate from the road.

Our information suggests that the current total length of all the different cycle lanes (within the geographical jurisdiction of the City of Johannesburg) adds add up to about 5 kilometres.

This is a picture of a section of the Zandspruit route:

Zandspruit cycle path

You can see a cyclist on the left hand side of the path.

And here is in image from the path in Soweto:

Soweto JDA Cycle Path

A board adjacent to this path says that it was built in 2000 by the Johannesburg Development Agency.

If there are any other lanes we have missed out please let us know.

Of course this post does not cover some of the plans afoot to build new lanes. That is for another post. Nor do we give our critical analysis of this state of affairs. That is also for another post.

Developing a Bicycle Map and Street Level Manifestation

Contrary to popular perception, Johannesburg is already to some extent a cycling friendly city. Many streets are traffic-calmed and have low volumes of traffic. However these corridors of mobility are undiscovered by many cyclists.

JUCA  – with the support of many commuter cyclists – is developing a map that will showcase these routes. The goal of the map is to promote cycling as a low-cost, realistic transport option. The Map provides current or potential cyclists with safe routes that have been defined and reviewed by experienced Johannesburg commuters. The network connects the residential areas of the socio-economic groups most likely to cycle already or to take it up to common destinations.

The proposed network links high density, lower-income residential areas to economic hubs, student residence areas to university campuses, residential areas to parks. We follow a pragmatic approach that allows changes as required over time.

The map will be physically manifest on the street through signs and other markers. This will allow the network to be visible to all cycle commuters, who need to be able to move quickly and reliably along a route without wasting time getting lost, stopping to read a map, or asking for directions.

Furthermore, visible signs and markings will make other road users aware of existing cyclists and cycling as an alternative to their current mode of transport. In tandem with the safer cycle network map, on-street signage is key to promoting commuter cycling in Johannesburg. We will provide updates of this project in due course.