Glasgow subway. ...Buchanan St station

Glasgow Subway...

“Those who qualify for this exemption are public transport operators in possession of valid permits and operating licences and whose vehicles are registered on the eNatis system,” spokeswoman Octavia Mamabolo said in a statement.

http://www.humanipo.com/news/37693/45700-public-transport-operators-exempt-from-e-tolling/

the scourge of Nigeria's former capital city, Lagos - appear to have suddenly become a constant feature in Abuja, the nation's ultra-modern capital. Taillights of cars stuck in traffic lining streets as far as the eye can see are now a common sight in the city. Tales of hours spent in traffic by commuters on their way to and from work are also frequently exchanged by residents these days. A city famous for its 'from scratch' planning should have anticipated emerging traffic challenges.

http://m.allafrica.com/stories/201312180259.html/

The only way to get to OR Tambo Airport if you are Able-bodied” 26 Nov 2013 moiraterwey Since the Gautrain started running, I have used this method of transport to get to Or Tambo from Fouways. It's quick and convenient and in my experience certainly quicker and less hazardous than the freeway road trip. The only difficulty is if you are NOT an able bodied passenger. There is no access for a luggage trolley between the 'ticket/turnstile' area onto the platform and this can be quite a walk. I recently had to fetched an elderly person from OR Tambo, with luggage, had no assistance and ended up having to call a friend to drive out to the airport as she couldn't manage the walk.

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserReviews-g312578-d2178395-r185995603-Gautrain-Johannesburg_Greater_Johannesburg_Gauteng.html

Kenya launched construction of a Chinese-funded $13.8 billion (10 billion euro) flagship railway project Thursday, hoping to dramatically increase trade and boost Kenya's position as a regional economic powerhouse. The key transport link, to run from the busy port city of Mombasa inland to the highland capital Nairobi, is eventually hoped to extend onwards to Uganda, and then connect with proposed lines to Rwanda and South Sudan.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iYwxDSnjAqXFh7Up6-8u_rcF3GCA?docId=4166f0f0-897f-4b90-9e53-56cceeeaa32e

Many Nigerian airport runways lack airfield lighting, thus impairing safety, as aircraft cannot take off or land in the night, even in emergencies. Chinedu Eze writes that owing to this, Nigerian airports cannot be deemed to have met minimum standards

http://m.allafrica.com/stories/201311220183.html/

Nigerian elected president of ICAO council

http://tribune.com.ng/news2013/index.php/en/news/news-headlines/item/26733-nigerian-elected-president-of-icao-council.html

A Ghanaian airline starts to fly into Lagos

http://www.gbcghana.com/mobile/?id=1.1606072

In fact, when it comes to roads, ports and air transport infrastructure, South Africa actually scores better than China.

http://businessdayonline.com/2013/11/de-risking-nigerias-transportation-logistics-industry/

As part of the value chain offering by MBSA commercial vehicles, FleetBoard professional will offer product familiarisation and driver training. This will enable the drivers to get the most out of the technology, features and benefits.

http://www.bdlive.co.za/life/motoring/2013/11/14/public-transport-mbsa-helps-to-expand-brt

THE suspended Chairman of the splitter group of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje yesterday bowed to pressure and resigned as Chairman, Nigeria Railway Corporation Governing Board

http://m.allafrica.com/stories/201311130319.html/

Commissioner for Transportation, Lagos State, Comrade Kayode Opeifa, noted that transport accounts for more than 30 percent of the value of delivered goods caused by inadequate and inefficient transport infrastructure in Nigeria.

http://m.allafrica.com/stories/201311130713.html/

“We first find out their driving styles and capabilities and once we have determined what their problems or weak areas are they do ‘corrective training’.

http://www.transportworldafrica.co.za/2013/11/12/training-the-driver/

“In Nigeria, we are trying to establish a federal road authority that will be in charge of tolled roads and we want to learn from how they do their things, what they have done right and how they did it,” he said."

http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/nigeria-to-adopt-south-african-model-for-tolling/163952/

13th National Council on Transportation, which will be the highest advisory body on all transport related matters across the federation,slated for 11th to 15th of November 2013. The summit's theme is: "Transformation of Transport Infrastructure, Catalyst for Socio-Economic growth."

http://m.allafrica.com/stories/201311100024.html/

A fund that will support innovations that can reduce the logistics and transport costs within the East African region was yesterday launched in Dar es Salaam.

http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/mobile/?articleID=2000097159&story_title=fund-to-aid-transport-innovators/

Road safety patrols..

High Intentions, Low Impacts - How Africa's Political Leaders Fail on Frontline Transport Delivery

I have recently concluded a peer-mentoring project with a senior official of a Lagos, Nigeria publicly-owned bus company.  It was a very useful experience that allowed me to gain further insight into the challenges faced by operators of similar organisations across the continent.

The fundamental problem was that of instituitional design and governance framework and the negative impact of extreme political interference. The failure of sound institutional design manifested in the following ways:
1. The bus company was initially conceived as an Asset owning public corporation with powers to lease vehicles to bus franchisees, concession bus routes, and give overall purview of the bus network.
2. Due to the implementation of a metropolitan transport plan, another organisation was then empowered to pioneer a unique Bus Rapid Transit system along specified corridors under LagBus supervision. As a result of political trade-offs, Lagbus was required to supply part of its bus stock to the cooperatives set up to run services on the BRT route.
3. As a result of difficulties with the LagBus franchsing deals which were considered unsound by bus operators, many abandoned them and LagBus as franchisor was left with a swathe of buses. Hence, a decision was taken that LagBus should run the buses itself!

The situation now is that there is no actual bus network that LagBus operates because there is no defined route-scheduling and programmed management of services to meet demand and customer choice.

Additionally, the staffing structure is not adequate to meet the business needs.In fact, it was alarming to discover that there is no Mess Room or recreational facilities for the use of drivers and other staff at any of the depots! The fare system is poor and contributes to service unreliability and customer disatisfaction. Network control is almost non-existent. For example, there is no control room  of any description and there is no reliable means of collecting and transmitting route/service information to those 'in control'.

The official took the initiative to seek world-class solutions to his organisation's problems. At the end of the 12 day consultation, the following are some of the actions he'll take forward:

1. Focus on 'deliverables' outside of high-level political permutations.
2. Focus on empowering frontline employees to drive value to the organisation.
3. Brand image is vital - what does the organisation stand for? The current motto 'Transportation Redefined' is meaningless and lacks emotional catchet.
4. Work to build a bus operating company that can be hived out of the Asset-owning parent.
5. Generate a stakeholder map - there are too many captains in the Lagos transport boat!
6. Keep things simple but efficient.
7. Collate data on operations and use your planners.
8. Get low-cost but useful IT for mobile and static monitoring.
9. Put a control room in place and get a network map!
10. Give the public visible value - Make all drivers First-Aiders!

I'm hopeful that some of these actions are achievable with some determination. We wait and see.

A week’s West Africa Training Services Course to address Rural Transport issues in the sub-region has ended at the University of Cape Coast (UCC). The course which was jointly organised by the UCC and Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) based in the UK was attended by 30 participants drawn from the transport sector from Ghana, N

http://vibeghana.com/2013/10/06/west-africa-training-services-course-ends/

http://ewn.mobi/news/Local/lsquo-integrated-transport-system-very-slow-rsquo/10557

A disappointed ARIK AIR CUSTOMER

http://ireporterstv.co/ir_fullvideo/boarding-a-plane-or-a-molue-bus-arik-air-nigeria-mayhem/

This is a fantastic tool for public transport users in Africa. It will bring to focus the network overview of existing systems and help identify user-led improvements. Well done.

http://ventureburn.com/2013/10/findmyway-brings-public-transport-info-to-commuters-mobile-phones/

In the modern world, individual transport modes very seldom operate in isolation, and Gautrain is no exception, as it shares direct interfaces with a number of bus operations. Firstly, it has its own 26-route feeder service operating a fleet of 125 Mercedes-Benz O500U 1726 low-floor rigid and articulated buses with air conditioned bodywork by Caio/Busmark from all its stations. There was some initial public scepticism directed towards these operations because of poor patronage, but during the April 2012-March 2013 period, Gautrain buses recorded more than three and a half million passenger trips, which was equal to about half of all rail passenger trips. Since then, additional routes have been added to the network, opening up further opportunities for bus patronage. Although most of the bus network does not operate over weekends, selected "special" services to popular entertainment, sporting and event venues has broadened the appeal of the Gautrain service and its buses. - See more at: http://m.bizcommunity.com/Article.aspx?l=196&c=40&i=100698#sthash.6FqWf1A0.dpuf

http://m.allafrica.com/stories/201309270040.html/

http://allafrica.com/stories/201309200615.html

There seems to be a greater emphasis on the transportation of goods at Swaziland Railway, could we see it venturing into the public transport sector in the future?

http://www.times.co.sz/news/91435-%E2%80%9Csd-railway-will-win-the-war%E2%80%9D.html

London Underground new S Stock train

Long view of interior saloon of London Underground new S Stock train

What more can the authorities do to stop pedestrians risking their lives?

Kenyan pedestrians would rather cross a busy highway than use a footbridge http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WewRfBiRjc

Easy use of air transport by criminals in Africa ‘a concern’

http://www.bdlive.co.za/africa/africannews/2013/09/10/easy-use-of-air-transport-by-criminals-in-africa-a-concern

South Africa battles a high rate of road fatalities, with about 38 lives lost per day, a report said this week. (AFP)

http://thepeninsulaqatar.com/latest-news/251970-south-african-road-crash-kills-27.html

The Lagos BRT Scheme is now caught in a downward spiral with poor service quality, wretched equipment and a tattered reputation. What happens next?

http://www.punchng.com/feature/super-saturday/lagos-brt-buses-now-glorified-molues-commuters/

Doing nothing would have a severe impact on the province's natural environment, its economy and the quality of life of its residents, making the province less pleasant to live in, Vadi said.

http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/Gauteng-launches-25-year-transport-plan-20130819

"The four locomotives acquired are self-loaded with on-board computer, double drivers' panel with fully air-conditioned cabins. The engine in each of the locomotives is Caterpillar's 1800HP model 3512B engine with capability of a design speed of 100Kmph."

http://m.allafrica.com/stories/201308300617.html/

On Wednesday morning, in the thick of the night at 2 AM, a bus overturned on its way from Narok town to Nairobi, killing 41. This brings those killed on Kenyan roads to more than 2,000, this year alone. Matatus, as public buses are known in Kenya, are notorious for bad driving and not sticking to set traffic rules. The bus here was said to be overloaded and speeding.

http://m.allafrica.com/stories/201309010109.html/

How poor governance and weak institutions lead to poor value for customers.

http://m.allafrica.com/stories/201308300638.html/

Here's a bold initiative we missed to promote in thw summer. Certainly will happen next year and we'll keep you updated if there's any news.

http://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/81358/halfords-teams-up-with-charity-to-send-unwanted-second-hand-bikes-to-africa

Public transport subsidies are largely available to commuters who use Metrorail and bus services that operate under government contracts. But the subsidies available to commuters are said to be inadequate. Combined the rail and bus subsidies cost about R10bn a year.

http://www.bdlive.co.za/business/transport/2013/08/29/anc-looks-at-subsidies-for-commuters

http://businessdayonline.com/2013/04/attracting-private-investors-in-rail-transport/

New routemaster on Bus 24 at Pimlico.

Improving transportation. ..top deck of new Transport for London Routemaster on Bus 24 to Pimlico. Nice.

The proposed ECOWAS railway system is expected to commence soon after years of neglect to connect Nigeria to Benin, Togo, Ghana and Côte d' Ivoire. Transport ministers from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) are awaiting the technical details of the proposed single railway line, expected to be 1,178 kilometres long, to connect the sub-region.

http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/business/artikel.php?ID=282009

Recently, an Australian teen took it upon himself to help by creating a solar-powered car that could be used to transport pregnant women in rural parts of Africa to a hospital.

http://www.mnn.com/family/babies-pregnancy/blogs/teen-designs-solar-car-to-transport-pregnant-african-women-to-the

According to officials from the two bodies, the development will streamline and change the ‘face’ of public transport in the city, as well as ensuring proper monitoring of providers.

http://www.newtimes.co.rw/news/index.php?i=15449&a=69519

VENTURES AFRICA – South Africa-based developer Lebogang Nkoane has launched a public transport service route manager application, awayto.be, to ease movement by commuters. The app will provide public transport service users, estimated to be over 10 million in South Africa, with the an efficient means of reaching their destinations, and is accessible online and on mobile phones including blackberry, android phones and iphones.

http://www.ventures-africa.com/2013/08/south-african-developer-launches-public-transport-app/

Motoeway Driving at night in the UK

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiH2ky9DfP8&feature=youtube_gdata_player

As the 'reformers' tackle infrastructure issues in South west NIgeria...

Since the advent of the Action Congress of Nigeria as a formidable political force in south west Nigeria, the governments in the states where it holds sway -Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun and Edo -  have been in a frenzied state of competition to show 'action' by embarking on a spate of infrastructure projects. Amongst other complaints, critics have variously referred to the projects as 'political jobbery', 'over-inflated', 'substandard', 'elitist'.

In two of the states, Ogun and Oyo, the governments have completed or are about to complete 'Flyover' construction in Abeokuta, Ijebu Ode and Ibadan. I was in Ijebu Ode in June and was sorely disappointed by the arrangements for diverted traffic for the the Mobalufon flyover construction. It was most unprofessional, almost amateurish to see that no attempt whatsover was made to ensure a reasonable flow of traffic during the period of works. If the shoddy diversions put in place are any measure of 'action', then I have no doubt there are greater flaws hidden in the infrastructure program.

The first one that I note is that there seems to be no regard for the sorrounding areas abutting the Flyover. For instance, the Mobalufon area is an area of Ijebuland reputed as the base of the sawmilling and wood buying and selling sector. It has a long established history steeped in its access to the woodlands of Ijebuland on the Lagos-Benin Expressway corridor popularly known as J4. Clearly, demolition of structures in the Right of Way is permissible but uncoordinated removal of places of historical significance defeats part of the goals of new infrastructure : renewal. Invasive transport projects that remove the lifeblood of communities are not sensible projects.

The 'action' governments of south west Nigeria are urged to take a back step and listen to all stakeholders including professional advisers with an interest in historic preservation and continuity.

Bad roads and Africa's economic prosperity

http://www.transportworldafrica.co.za/2013/07/30/what-is-the-price-of-bad-roads/

Govt considering setting up Railway Transport Fund

http://www.ippmedia.com/frontend/index.php?l=57170

Swaleh, an automotive technician by profession and a matatu owner, is becoming a force to reckon with since his latest innovation took effect. Users regularly take to the social media tweeting about their experience with free Wi-Fi in traffic.

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/07/20/314720/public-service-vehicles-in-kenya-gets-internet-services/

http://www.planetizen.com/node/63629

http://mobile.punchng.com/output.php?link=http://www.punchng.com/feature/dash-of-death-growing-concern-as-lagosians-shun-pedestrian-bridges/

CNS STORY: Bishops: South Africa's plan to charge tolls for existing roads immoral

" FROM October next year, Warri, the nation’s pioneer petroleum and gas industry hub, will have a new look as Delta State Government has concluded plans to introduce the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) model in the ‘oil city"

Delta unfolds model transport system for Warri

More on the revival of Nigeria's railways→.

Nigeria hopes its rebuilt train line can unite a divided country | Toronto Star

The drivers' strike has affected many customers of the Golden Arrow bus service. Poor people from the townships, who struggle to get other means of transport that they can afford, were particularly affected. But most affected were disabled people.

South Africa: Struggle for Disabled People to Use Cape Town's Transport - allAfrica.com

Tracks on track – South Africa’s public transport users to benefit from KasiMP3 and GoMetro partnership – The Silicon Cape Initiative

“It is totally unacceptable for government to charge people to use existing roads”,“It is simply unacceptable to toll an existing stretch of road without providing alternative routes” and“There should be a transparent discussion on why e-tolling costs this much”.

South Africa: Cosatu Welcomes Catholic Church's Opposition to E-Tolls - allAfrica.com

Tracks on track – South Africa’s public transport users to benefit from KasiMP3 and GoMetro partnership

Tracks on track – South Africa’s public transport users to benefit from KasiMP3 and GoMetro partnership

Save the Rhino

Timeline Photos | Facebook https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151450518931374&l=3cd2ee36af

Safety and security on Africa's transport system - From Hey! To Grave in anxiety and trepidation?

Youth feel unsafe on public transport | Drum
Half of young South Africans who use public transport feel it is unsafe to do so, according to a survey released on Monday.

That is perhaps nothing new but still it raises fundamental concerns about life and society in Africa.
Life is mobility and mobility is life. There are very few things in life that can be achieved without been able to move from A to B. Hence, an efficient transport system is vital to the enjoyment of life, its very practicability and essence. Since the very first rule of life is self-preservation, being able to travel safely is of serious concern to every transport user because transport is a means to fulfilling existential objectives. Without a doubt, the grim result of the survey of South African travellers is certainly what you will find in a similar poll in Abakaliki, Bamako, Ouagadogou or Lusaka.  From  the point when you say Hey! to the taxi driver, it is a state of anxiety until you get off.

Why is this so?

Primarily, it is because the informal sector dominates the provision of public transport. With the best of regulatory efforts, little is achievable in terms of effective policing of operators. The progeny or professionalism or even effective identification of the drivers is mostly weakly defined while the quality of vehicles is mainly poor. These twin issues - poor drivers and poor vehicles together constitute a crucial factor in the safety framework around African transport.

The core issues therefore may be categorised into the following groups under the PEST umbrella - Political, Economic, Social and Technology:
1. People - comprising social, environmental and competence issues
2. Vehicles - Economic, technological and environmental issues
3. Infrastructure - Economic and political economy, security and safety oversight
4. Regulation  - Legal and institutional issues especially oversight and enforcement

Officials of African countries will claim they are trying to do what they can to address the issue of safety in transportation. However the problem that has been found in most countries is that policy is inconsistent over time to become entrenched.

The Social Milieu - Area Boys, Area Bus!

Many of the political operators lack clear commitment to sanitising the situation. It is common for political actors to use transport operators for political objectives. Across the continent, powerful Transport owners' and Transport workers' unions work hand-in-glove with politicians and regulators to subvert the formal regulatory framework. In some countries, such as South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria, these unions exert enormous political clout such that they subvert well-intentioned policy initiatives. Alongside these political alliances is an actively-embedded culture of violence. It is such the case therefore that the feeling of helplessness and vulnerability felt by commuters emanated directly from the often aggressive and militant behaviour of the bus drivers and their assistants. In Nigeria, the 'assistants' are called Area Boys. They constitute a nuisnace in the local bus parks.
The culture of violence drives away effective supervision and so the private operators are a law unto themselves. Criminals hide under the cloak of this establishment to perpetrate their illicit trades in rape, abductions and assault. Sometimes, the operators are the criminals or they are the victims.

Looking further into this matter, it is found that poor regulation is not just an issue of failure of state supervision. There is actually poor self-regulation on the part of the operators. It seems that the generally violent and unsavoury setting of motor parks and bus stations feeds a culture of superstition which also feeds a belief in the power of magic charms to protect from the dangers perceived to exist in the transport trade. The belief in charms encourages reckless driving and unreasonable risk-taking. This mindset also relates to the febrile rivalry that exists among the operators and sits amidst a culture of unregulated drug and alcohol misuse while operating vehicles.

Vehicles or Hearses
One of the most frightening spectacles of intercity public transport in Africa is the grisly aftermath of a minibus crash. There are hardly any survivors, or any without serious injury. The design of these minibuses alone is enough to make you feel unsafe. Seating four abreast in a row that is barely 12 feet wide, in a four row configuration, passengers know that in the event of a crash, there is very little chance of escape, let alone survival. The use of minibuses is popular in Africa because it fits into the 'owner-operator' model and is quicker to fill up for journeys. But when viewed in conjunction with the other factors above, it is no surprise that people feel unsafe. Recently, the Lagos state government in Nigeria introduced annual testing and certification of vehicles. It is a step in the right direction but even the most ardent supporter will agree that many of the commercial vehicles in parts of Lagos could not have passed the annual test!

Overseers that see no evil!
There is a confluence where the agents of poor safety of Africa's transport systems merge and there you find official connivance, official incompetence and official disregard. In each case, the state actors play a key role in making the system unsafe. These features range from high and low level political connivance in the lax regulation of their political allies to failure to train, equip and empower officials. The result is a culture of impunity that allows operators to run substandard services threatening the safety of passengers. Even when the political framework is supported at the top level, frontline enforcement is compromised by distortion of the vision, incompetence and obstruction.

Technology
The most effective way of encouraging safe behaviour by drivers and operators is monitoring and enforcement. Most African countries have little data on their citizens that can trace them to their homes and their employment. This lack of data is not just a matter of capture and storage. It goes deeply to the issue of identifying people and locating their skills, knowledge, experience and behaviours within their role as driver or operator. What is their relationship with any association? Effective monitoring that can act as a deterrence to reckless behaviour can only occur when the individual concerned is easy to identify, trace and managed within the framework. The use of CCTV is recommended in this respect. Hand-held devices and vehicle-borne equipment will go a long way in regulating the excesses of these operators.

Legal and Institutional framework
Many of the countries with road safety problems have sound legal frameworks and institutions to deliver them. The fulsome failing is diligent implementation which happens for several reasons, some of which have been suggested above. One point of note is that countries need to be careful to adopt one-hat-fits-all packages that usually come from donor and institutions. Bespoke, locally-derived solutions, though more tedious to obtain, may lead to more enduring arrangements that achieve better outcomes in the long-term.
It is my hope that actors in the transportation and ancillary sectors will work together to make sure that Oyongo gets from A to J in one piece with peace of mind instead of from Hey! To Grave in anxiety and trepidation.

Vacancy

PUBLIC TRANSPORT LIAISON OFFICER AND ANALYST in Pretoria | Job Mail South Africa

Transport network re-routed based on mobile phone data (Wired UK)

Transport network re-routed based on mobile phone data (Wired UK)
"If transit agencies could have an effective tool to quantify the travel demand, a well as recommendations on how to best design the transit network, cities would be able to better support travellers' mobility demand through a regulated and efficient public transport system," explains the report.

A point of relevance to my earlier blog on mega projects. ..

Capacity building is key to delivering development in Africa
Implementation

'The first is to take implementation seriously. As Barber said, governments tend to think that designing the right policy is 90% of the battle and that implementation flows naturally from there; whereas they actually need to flip that and focus the bulk of their attention on implementation'

Large-scale transport Projects and the small man

Perhaps one of the most obvious features of post democratic transitions in Africa today is the drive to renew or build essential infrastructure to push economic and social change. This desire has spurred a plethora of state-led and private sector collaborations embracing all modes of transport.
These projects are often described by words like 'strategic,  transformative,  mega' and so on. The reports usually talk about 'high level commitment by key stakeholders and the macro level and institutional benefits' the projects will achieve.
In the midst of all these the role the small man is to be found in the small print.  One way in which he is mentioned is that the project will aim to develop 'local talent and achieve adequate knowledge transfer'. How far is this the case? 
I have my views on this but would like a discussion on this issue by anyone with experience or perspective on how these mega projects mee the needs of the small man who is at the receiving end of the high minded aims of decision- makers in the donor capitals of the world.

Private v Public. ..Private sector is not necessarily the bedt option

East Coast rail service costs taxpayers less than private lines, report reveals http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2013/apr/18/east-coast-rail-line-taxpayer-subsidy

E tolling on roads - a hot potato matter

Cosatu's Campaign Against Tolls Continues - allAfrica.com
As it is in Lagos where theLekki Toll roaf is a major issue for government and user so it has been a long battle between South African protesters opposed to toll roads.

South Africa’s Gautrain missing ridership targets | International Railway Journal

In the Spotlight: GoMetro, Improving public transportation in South Africa | infoDev.org

Unfortunately, about $7 billion a year never makes it into the relatives’ accounts because of high bank fees. Rather than lobbying governments to increase foreign aid to Africa we need creative entrepreneurs who can find a free market solution to the exorbitant transaction costs.

Diaspora-Driven Development | Acton PowerBlogActon Institute PowerBlog

Nigeria railways

Washington Post
This trip has been an interesting experience — in a negative way,” said Dada Thomas, a doctor, sitting beside the track. “Externally the train looked very good. But you have to have people who are qualified running the operations.”

Opinion: On taxis and taxi drivers - Mail & Guardian Mobile
Taxi drivers are special lot, bless them. Their cavalier disdain of road rules and inconsiderate treatment of fellow motorists is legend. They are essentially a law unto themselves, so much so that much of the government’s attempts at controlling their industry with promises of public transport reforms have landed on deaf ears. Violent skirmishes between the police and taxi drivers have not helped the situation.The incident that led to the death of Mozambique-born taxi driver Emido Macia at the hands of the police still lingers and recently, a taxi driver stabbed a police officer, who then shot him in the chest in Klerksdorp, North West. It seems that violence is something the average South African cannot go a day without hearing or reading. Let me not speak about the violence that has South Africa under siege, there are enough people to do that. I’d like to instead speak about the joys (read "horrors") of taking a taxi ride, surviving it and the possible reasons for the type of madness that often characterises taxi drivers on our roads.The dangers of riding a taxi are manifold. I still remember to this day, the one time during my undergrad days, when I thought I had scored the best seat in the taxi. I was sitting in the front row with the driver but not in the middle seat that designates you as the money collector and change distributor for the duration of the journey. The window was open and a welcomed cool breeze wafted through at the end of another drag of a university day. The taxi rattled along in unroadworthy defiance but, as is usually the case, we passengers were but mere beggars unable to afford the luxury of choice and so, we bore the discomfort of the tattered taxi.Suddenly I almost found myself flying out of the taxi. My prized front seat of leisure illustrated just how perilous a simple journey home can be at times. As the taxi manoeuvred around the traffic circle just outside the Loftus stadium, the door became unhinged and swung wide open as if kicked. It just so happens that I was holding on to the handle at the top of the door frame and the taxi was fortunately moving at a steady pace.The rest of the passengers gasped, the taxi driver slowed down and pulled over to the side of the road. He jumped out from his side of the taxi and swiftly moved around to my side, doing a quick inspection of the door. He took hold of its handle, told me to shift in and slammed it shut. I don’t remember him apologising or even asking if I was fine but his face remained defiantly stoic as if he was actually irritated by the fact that he had to pull over. Within minutes we drove off.Nothing much has changed since those days. Taxis still do as they please, whether you are in their passenger seat or the driving seat of your own vehicle. You can only look on in bewilderment as a taxi comes to a dead halt even though the traffic light is green or there is car behind it. A friend once ventured a radical thought as to why taxi drivers do what they do – drive recklessly and give little or no consideration to their customers.He said they function under an enormous pressure of having to meet daily financial targets as set by their bosses. In a funny way, he made it sound like the exact process of being an accounting graduate clerking in an auditing firm where you have to clock in your hours as proof of your productivity levels. I can understand the logic of this; some of the taxi drivers I had conversations with said they are in rush not because they feel like speeding but because the more trips they make in a day, the more money they can pull especially for themselves.However, I think there is another influencing factor in the manner that taxi drivers operate: government is too afraid to impose laws upon them and their associations. When they do try, it is often in a completely confrontational manner resulting in their backing down and no solution to be had. There is certainly no reason why taxi drivers are or should be exempt from exercising basic professionalism – they offer a service and are part of a system as opposed to being a system unto themselves. If government can’t figure this out and get it right then they should realise that a functioning South African public transport system will remain a pipe dream for a long time.

Vacancy in South Africa

SENIOR PUBLIC TRANSPORT SPECIALIST | 468173481

Lagos and Dakar make giant strides in transport

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SSATP Africa Transport Policy Programme download document | Transport World Africa

Nigeria Starts Dismantling Its Plane 'Graveyard'

Nigeria Starts Dismantling Its Plane 'Graveyard' The Associated Press Jan 31, 2013, 10:18 AM Workers have begun dismantling the abandoned airplanes left to rot at airports across Nigeria, a nation with a troubled history of crashes and mismanaged airlines. The work has started in Lagos at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, where passengers coming into Africa's most populous nation have long seen the abandoned planes when landing there. Henry Omeogu, director of airport operations for the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, said Thursday that he hopes workers will dismantle all the aircraft within the coming weeks. Omeogu estimated there are at least 65 abandoned planes at Nigeria's airports, ranging from small jets to a massive Boeing 747 in the northern city of Kano. The work comes as Nigeria struggles to overcome a past filled with airline disasters and corruption in the aviation sector.

The New Regulations In Aviation Sector http://t.co/5pLCrWrV

Watch "Chaotic state of South Africa's Public Transport Industry" on YouTube

Nigeria First Automobile Manufacturer Laments Low Patronage, Articles | THISDAY LIVE

Nigeria First Automobile Manufacturer Laments Low Patronage, Articles | THISDAY LIVE

Self-regulation working well for SA transport industry

Self-regulation working well for SA transport industry The self-regulation system as stipulated in the Road Transport Management System (RTMS) is proving to be a very effective tool for South African truck and bus operators in managing fleets efficiently and cost-effectively, with many case studies to back up the success of the roll-out. “RTMS, which has been in operation since 2003 and is finding growing support among fleet operators, continues to show outstanding results since implementation and supports the Department of Transport’s National Road Freight Strategy as the fourth pillar in the action plans,” comments the chairman of the RTMS national committee, Adrian van Tonder, of Barloworld Logistics. “Currently there are 2 674 trucks and 395 buses (the Buscor fleet) from 68 company depots carrying the RTMS accreditation logo, with a quantum leap in participation having occurred in the past 24 months,” adds Van Tonder. RTMS is an industry-led, government supported, voluntary self-regulation scheme that encourages consignees and road transport operators to implement a management system – a set of standards – that demonstrates compliance with the Road Traffic Regulations. It also contributes to preserving the road infrastructure, improving road safety, ensuring driver health and wellness as well as improving productivity Hino, one of South Africa’s leading truck manufacturers, is giving its full support to assisting with the roll-out of RTMS. Hino uses its nationwide dealer network as an important catalyst to spread the good news and benefits of using the system to its customers and then assisting them with the implementation. “We at Hino see the RTMS as a very important initiative in creating responsible truck operators who show concern for the roads and environment while focusing strongly on fuel saving,” says Hino SA vice president, Dr Casper Kruger. “Our support for the RTMS has already extended to our dealers and we are sponsoring a series of successful and well-attended information-sharing sessions throughout the country to promote this programme. “We then encourage our dealers to keep up the momentum by following up with the transport operators who are not on the system to take up the challenge and assist them in developing a strategy to meet all the requirements,” adds Kruger. “The development of the RTMS flowed over from initiatives by the timber industry in KwaZulu-Natal at the beginning of the 21st century to combat overloading, which causes damage to roads while also contributing to cutting the number of accidents involving trucks,” explains Adrian van Tonder. “The KwaZulu-Natal project was known as LAP – the Load Accreditation Programme – and was also self-regulatory. This concept was expanded with the addition of driver health, compliance with road traffic regulations and all aspects of road safety to establish the basis for RTMS standards.” Driving forces in those early days included Paul Nordegen, Oliver Naidoo and Andrew Kriek and they formed a steering committee in 2006 to give momentum to the initiative. There is now a more formalised RTMS national committee made up of representatives of a host of stakeholder organisations and associations that is now driving the project forward. Current chairman Adrian van Tonder came aboard in 2009 and is extremely enthusiastic about this initiative.

Zimbabwe bus crash 8 dead

Zimbabwe bus crash 8 dead

June comes quickly. And we wait'

Fashola promises to deliver Lagos light rail June http://pmnewsnigeria.com/2013/01/08/fashola-promises-to-deliver-lagos-light-rail-june/

MMIA: Nigeria’s open sore

MMIA: Nigeria’s open sore JANUARY 8, 2013 BY NIYI AKINNASO (NIYI@COMCAST.NET) 20 COMMENTS | credits: Bennett Omeke ven if you have no business at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria’s premier airport, you must have a stake in the central message of this essay. Put quite simply and straight, the airport is a symbol of all that is wrong with Nigeria, especially poor leadership, corruption, and inadequate infrastructure. It is Nigeria’s “open sore”, to borrow a phrase from Prof. Wole Soyinka’s The Open Sore of a Continent, in which Nigeria is used to demonstrate the ills of African states. The failure of successive Nigerian leaders to sustain the high standards expected of the airport as an international airport (modelled after Amsterdam’s Schipol International Airport) parallels the failure of African leaders to maintain high standards for African states and their institutions. In Soyinka’s book, the gradual decline of the Nigerian state into anarchy under Sani Abacha was portrayed as a systemic social, economic, and political cancer that grew from the early days of independence until it gradually enveloped the entire state. So has it been with the famed airport, named after the late Head of State, Gen. Murtala Muhammed, although on a rather different scale. What makes the MMIA’s case particularly significant is its role as the premier front door, which lets insiders out and outsiders in. Whatever bad experience outsiders have at the door is a blemish on all insiders. Against the above background, this essay is structured within two frames. The outer frame is provided by the Federal Government and its Ministry of Aviation, the institution responsible for the supervision, security, and maintenance of the nation’s airports. Between the two, the MMIA has suffered untold mismanagement and neglect over the years. It must be acknowledged that the airport has undergone changes and expansion since its modest beginnings during World War II. Named variously as Ikeja Airport, Lagos International Airport, and, from 1978, Murtala Muhammed International Airport, it served as the hub for the West African Airways Corporation between 1947 and 1958 and for the defunct Nigeria Airways between 1958 and 2003. Nigeria Airways began its decline in the mid-1980s, only a few years after the government took over its management from KLM. Plagued by mismanagement, corruption, and a poor safety record, its fleet declined from a peak of 30 aircraft to just three, two of which were leased. At its closure in 2003, the airline’s debt had exceeded $60m. Yet, the reports of several probes into the mismanagement of funds meant for the airline have been shoved aside repeatedly by the government. Like the Nigeria Airways, the MMIA has been a fertile ground of mismanagement and corruption, with telling consequences, including incessant power outages; broken down air-conditioning systems, escalators, and conveyor belts; stinking toilets, stuffy terminals, and unkempt hallways. To be sure, various administrations had embarked on some renovation or remodelling, the vestiges of accumulated rot remained. The result of present efforts by the Jonathan administration is like changing the cooking pot without changing the chef, the ingredients, and the cooking method. Customers keep experiencing the same bad taste. Inside this outer frame is an inner one, provided by two previous essays in The PUNCH by Uche Igwe (December 26, 2012) and Yakubu Dati, General Manager, Corporate Communications, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (January 1, 2013). Drawing upon his experience at the Port Harcourt International Airport, Igwe questions the Minister of Aviation, Stella Oduah, over the botched reconstruction going on there. He queries the process, quality, and timing of the reconstruction, which pushes passengers out of the arrival and departure halls simultaneously into ad hoc tents. “Anyone who has passed through that experience”, Igwe concludes, “will bear witness that this is either a country that is dysfunctional or a government that is clueless”. Speaking for the agency, Dati puts up a spirited defence of the Minister, citing her courage in earmarking 11 airports for “undergoing reconstruction simultaneously”. But Igwe’s argument is precisely that such a massive undertaking compromises passengers’ convenience, safety, and security. He also queries the government’s involvement in all the projects, wondering if it learnt anything from the new Lagos domestic terminal, MMA2, built by the private sector. My own personal experiences at the MMIA throughout 2012 attest to Igwe’s observations and conclusions. Scaffoldings have been erected at the site of the old Parking Lot at least since 2004. One kind of reconstruction or the other has been going on somewhere inside or around the airport forever, but without appreciable relief to passengers. With Jonathan’s remodelling, the entrance and exit to and fro the airport have become a major hassle. This is particularly true of the approach road to the departure wing where passengers may be trapped for over two hours, leading to missed flights. In the absence of temporary parking near enough to the terminals, passengers often have to be picked up near the Baggage Claim Hall or dropped off near the Ticketing and Check-in Counters. That comes with two dangers: First, towing vehicle operators will hound your vehicle, not necessarily to tow it, but to harass you or your driver into paying some ransom for keeping the vehicle there temporarily. Second, you have to wade through a crowded entrance door into over-crowded ticketing and check-in counters or through a crowded exit door into a huge crowd of fake and genuine taxi drivers and unsolicited touts, who often insist on pushing your luggage-loaded cart to your vehicle or a taxi. Whether you are coming in or going out, you have to watch your luggage with more than two eyes. The relief expected after returning to one’s country is always dampened by the all-around dysfunctionality of the MMIA. It begins with the approach to the airport, where, as one expatriate once put it, “chaos and urban decay come flying at visitors like paper scraps in a windstorm”. The contrast in infrastructure and services at the MMIA and other international airports around the world is even worse. In addition to poor infrastructure, as already described, services are usually shabby. During my last return flight, those who requested wheelchairs had to be assisted down a still escalator into the immigration hall because the wheelchair lift (a rickety one at that) was not readily available. Worse still, the immigration and baggage claim halls were over-crowded. It was only after waiting for our luggage for nearly an hour that a lady came into the hall, shouting, “Delta passengers, go into the next hall for your luggage”. It was a new hall, with power outlets popping out of the terrazzo floor here and there and a make-shift conveyor belt whose circumference was too small to accommodate the passengers. Because it was raining that night, every luggage came in wet, apparently because the conveyor belt opened to the outside wall of the hall, where luggage was physically transferred onto it from the airplane. Apart from immigration officials who appeared to be doing the best they could in the circumstances, many aviation employees were rude, discourteous, and openly asked for bribes, often in some subtle or disguised language, such as “Oga, wetin you bring for us now”? Yet, according to Dati, “deliberate strategies are being deployed to change the orientation of the aviation employees through capacity development”. Such effort has yet to bear fruit. Let me put my final observation in a question form: Why can’t the airport authorities emulate their international counterparts by installing monitors everywhere to provide information, welcoming passengers, apologising for inconveniencing them with ongoing renovations, and directing them to appropriate terminals or gates and service areas at the airport? Is that too much to ask for in this electronic age? You may also like -

64 dead, 302 injured in Zamfara road accidents

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That's why the rich fly in helicopters!

Majority of road deaths is due to human behaviour

Majority of road deaths is due to human behaviour

Speaking at the launch of the Festive Season Road Safety Campaign in Pretoria on Sunday, Transport Minister Ben Martins said that the majority of deaths on our roads are caused by irresponsible human behaviour, which highlights the need to educate communities about road safety.

Martins said that 82.2% of deaths on South Africa's roads during the 2010 and 2011 festive seasons were due to the human factor, including speeding, drunken driving, driver fatigue, unroadworthy vehicles and drunken pedestrians.

The minister added that the statistics show that law enforcement officers were not solely responsible for preventing accidents, but that road users themselves have a responsibility to consciously obey the law on the roads.

"Which means we should place more emphasis on education, public awareness and compliance with the law," he said.

"The road safety campaign should therefore become a daily preoccupation and not only during the festive and Easter seasons."

Martins said that as part of the department's attempt to curb road deaths this festive season, it would work closely with, among others, the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC), the Road Accident Fund, the Cross Border Road Traffic Agency and the Road Traffic Infringement Agency.

The RTMC acting CEO, Collins Letsoalo, said it had noted "poor human behaviour" at times when law enforcement officers were not usually on duty.

He mentioned that most fatal accidents occur between 22:00and 06:00 from Thursday nights to Sunday mornings and that the most dangerous road in the country was the R61, on the N6 between the N2 and Oslo Beach, south of Queenstown in the Eastern Cape.

He also believes that head-on collisions as a result of drivers falling asleep at the wheel would be the main cause for fatal accidents this festive season.

Transport Infrastructure West Africa

Transport Infrastructure West Africa

Transport Infrastructure East Africa 2013

Transport Infrastructure East Africa 2013