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Probe infrastructure before moving
Buyers need to carefully consider all the issues around commuting, looking at all their lifestyle requirements before signing on the dotted line.
"Consider your proximity to all amenities, including hospitals, shops and most importantly, the schools that your children will be attending. Take the time out to assess traffic flows during the times that you will be driving your family around, and how that will impact on your working hours."
One of the most important things that government can do to remedy the appalling situation on urban roads is to create an effective public transport system.
"The Gautrain is a wonderful notion, but it just provides a spine from Johannesburg to Pretoria, and across to O.R. Tambo International Airport, into the near future. For an urban development framework to succeed, the implementation of a comprehensive network of public transport is essential – something that is sorely lacking in Johannesburg's development hotspots on the West Rand and in the Fourways area," he says.
For the Gautrain to be truly effective in the short term, Meyer suggests that development within the inner city areas should be encouraged, in order to bring people closer to the spine that is currently being built.
"This goes further than just refurbishing old office buildings into swanky apartments. A complete framework addressing education needs – such as schools and day-care – as well as social elements like open parks and recreation facilities need to be included to make it appealing for property buyers to return to the central nodes."
Apart from the dire need for effective public transport, commuters need to feel safe when they are walking from their home or place of work to their means of transport. "Very few of our urban areas have sufficient pavements – have you ever tried walking any distance in Sandton, for example?"
"Our urban areas need to be designed so that pedestrians can be safe from road traffic, and of course, they need to feel safe from any opportunistic crimes such as mugging. Our cities have a lot of work to do if they're going to keep up with the needs of their people," Meyer says. |
Posted on Monday, November 26, 2007 (Archive on Friday, November 30, 2007)
Posted by hayleym Contributed by hayleym
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