WELCOME MOVE: Businesses and commuters will benefit from the MyCiTi service along the Claremont route, says the writer, who is looking forward to the roll-out.
THE Claremont Improvement District Company (CIDC) is excited about plans for the MyCiTi bus service to our area, which, we believe, will benefit local businesses and residents as well as those who commute to work here.
The large majority of workers in Claremont come from the south-east areas of the city, including Khayelitsha – from which a direct MyCiTi link is planned to Claremont – and Mitchells Plain, from which there will be a direct service to Wynberg.
This means that when MyCiTi starts operating, it will provide safer, more efficient and more comfortable transport for most of the workers in our area, including domestic workers, restaurant staff and office staff. These workers form the bulk of staff in the Claremont service industry. Local residents will benefit, as will the owners of most businesses, from coffee shops to small businesses and large companies.
More commuters will result in more money spent at local shops, which will also help local Claremont businesses to thrive.
A “virtuous circle” will be set up, in which a benefit to workers benefits employers, which, in turn, opens up even more employment opportunities.
Currently, workers travel to Claremont either by minibus taxi or by the cheaper option of an overcrowded train, which requires going through Salt River, then travelling south again – a long and circuitous journey. MyCiTi will get these workers here more comfortably, more safely, and the quicker journey will leave them more time at home every day.
Claremont is currently a financial hub, with some of the biggest financial and private equity companies in the country based here, and is obviously also a shopping hub too. Other hubs, such as a creative or education hub, could also develop here, given excellent public transport and the excellent schools we have in the southern suburbs. The CIDC looks forward to such possibilities opening up.
An important aspect of MyCiTi is that it is part of an integrated public transport network, rather than a stand-alone bus service. The long-term plan is for the train service to improve dramatically, with improved rolling stock and better security, as part of this network. This would give better access to Claremont for all residents of the city as well as encourage more Claremont residents to take the bus or train along the north-south route, which is, of course, very important. Claremont residents, too, need a safer, more reliable public transport service.
The CIDC would like to see Claremont becoming a 24-hour economy, with restaurants open at all hours and extended retail hours. The area is now open for shopping and business for eight to nine hours each day, and only a few student nightclubs are open at night. The CCID, in partnership with the city and SAPS, is already delivering better security and cleansing services. These, combined with safe, clean transport, could open up opportunities for a thriving – and safe – night-time economy.
In our vision for a future Claremont, we must help to build an inclusive city. We live in a contested city, which saw large numbers of people forcibly removed under apartheid from areas that include Claremont.
High-quality public transport will increase property values in our area, which will benefit current property owners. In fact, ensuring high property values in our area is one of the aims of the CIDC. However, there are opportunities to finalise land claims and open up social housing, which will allow for a more socially cohesive Claremont to develop, respecting the history of the area.
The city should take bold steps to move towards this inclusive future, planning in an integrated way that considers our history and memory, at the same time as rolling out the new MyCiTi service. We need to move beyond renaming Lansdowne Road as Imam Haron Road in this inclusive planning process.
Decisions must be taken to finalise outstanding land restitution cases in the area, such as that concerning property in Bowwood Road. Steps should also be taken to build social housing in the area, after frank but open communication with the local residents, to ensure that neighbourhoods are not permanently polarised by the divisions of our apartheid past.
While welcoming the MyCiTi service, we also acknowledge that local communities should also take responsibility for giving input to the city for their views and needs to be accommodated. A prime example of this is that we must ensure that residents’ access to the local Claremont police station is not blocked by the MyCiTi bus service.
In addition, the CIDC also wishes to have a clear timeline from the city. We know that MyCiTi will come here at some stage in the future, but individual businesses and the CIDC need to know approximately when for our own planning purposes.
We learnt about the plans for the MyCiTi service to Claremont at a CIDC annual meeting late last year, at which Mayco member for transport Brett Herron outlined plans for Phase 2A of MyCiTi.
We were pleased to hear of these developments and are looking forward to further engagement about the development of this new phase of the MyCiTi service.
[Abdul Kerbelker is Executive Manager of the Claremont Improvement District Company]