The economic impact of passenger transport in the Klipfontein Corridor

n April 2004, the then Transport MEC of the Western Cape, Tasneem Essop unveiled Government s grand vision of converting Klipfontein Road into a pioneering form of public transport called Bus Rapid Transit (BRT). BRT is the public transport system that the provincial government and City of Cape Town have selected to address South Africa s city transport problems, with a future looking perspective. BRT is characterised by dedicated bus lanes, which will be divided from the normal traffic lanes to ensure that express buses can travel unhindered. Government envisages changing the 20 km Klipfontein Road Corridor stretching from the Inner City through Athlone/Gatesville to Nyanga and Khayelitsha into an activity axis of economic transformation, featuring bus stations, convenience stores, supermarkets, coffee shops and kerbside cafes. This vision of turning Klipfontein Corridor into a well of economic prosperity by using rapid bus transport is primarily what this study will focus on. We are asking whether this goal is attainable and what the positive and negative spin-offs are in respect of sustainable economic growth for the city and a reduction in racially rooted inequalities.