Below follows some communication about concerned residents and CBRRA Manco communication with Council regarding the MyCiti Bus route that is proposed for Camps Bay:
Hi Marius
Thank you for managing this process.
CBRRA appreciates the efforts made by the IRT personnel in addressing Gary Leih's concerns and we can report that he is satisfied with the outcome thus far.
Of course, this process has now generated considerable general public concern and Cllr Amira's comments wrt the public participation process are endorsed by this Association.
However, Cllr Schafer is currently engaging with the relevant officials on certain specific issues and we await her feedback on this matter.
Cheers
Chris
Friday, October 07, 2011 10:58 AM
Many thanks for addressing this matter, Tom.
Kind regards / Vriendelike groete/ Ngombulelo omkhulu
Marius Coetsee
Manager: Good Hope Sub-council (16)
From: Tom Pressinger
Sent: 07 October 2011 10:32 AM
Dear Marius
I have responded to Mr Gary Leih personally and we will be modifying the bus stop plans to ensure that the impact on the landscaped area is minimised. We will no longer be erecting a full shelter and this will be replaced by a platform and pole arrangement. The revised plans will be shown to Mr Leih before any further work commences.
There was public communication about the construction programme for the feeder stops in the news media roughly eight weeks ago and the plans for individual stops have been available for public scrutiny on the MyCiTi website ( i.e. at http://www.capetown.gov.za/en/MyCiti/Pages/Routes.aspx ) and in public libraries. A notice of intent to commence construction work was posted in the letter boxes of nearby residences by the contractor. In future, we will ensure that a notice is distributed to all property owners and residents in the immediate surrounding area at least one month prior to the commencement of construction.
Kind regards
Tom Pressinger
IRT Infrastructure and Development
021 4009141
From: Marius Coetsee
Sent: 30 September 2011 03:46 PM
Hi Tom
The emails below refer.
Your urgent comments on the enquiry from Mr Chris Willemse will be appreciated.
Kind regards / Vriendelike groete/ Ngombulelo omkhulu
Marius Coetsee
Manager: Good Hope Sub-council (16)
From: Gershwin Fortune
Sent: 30 September 2011 03:40 PM
Hi Tom
Pls advise
Gershwin Fortune
Manager: IRT System Planning & Modelling
From: Vivienne Sasman
Sent: 30 September 2011 03:04 PM
To: Gershwin Fortune
Cc: Marius Coetsee; Lucille Muller
Subject: FW: CBRRA Bus stop shelter 1 Atholl Rd
Good day Gershwin, please see correspondence from Mr Willemse and inform us who is the official responsible for the construction of the MyCiTi bus shelter.
Kind regards / Vriendelike groete/ Ngombulelo omkhulu
Vivienne Sasman
Admin Assistant
Good Hope Subcouncil 16
From: Chris Willemse [mailto:cnwillemse@gmail.com]
Sent: 30 September 2011 01:22 PM
To: Marius Coetsee
Cc: Vivienne Sasman; leihsathome@googlemail.com
Subject: CBRRA Bus stop shelter 1 Atholl Rd
Hi Marius
CBRRA has received a complaint from the owner at 1 Atholl Rd (cnr Geneva Drive), Mr Gary Leih, regarding the construction of a MyCiTi bus stop shelter on the verge at the above address.
It appears as if there was no consultation with the residents nor any prior notice given by the Authorities. Further, expensive landscaping paid for by Mr Leih, and agreed to by the City, has been destroyed. Please could you advise both Mr Leih and CBRRA as to how to properly address this matter.
Cheers
Chris
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11 October 2011
Thanks John,
Could I please ask that whilst this matter is being further debated, that the powers-that- be instruct the workers to cease the trench digging outside my property, pending further evaluation?
many thanks,
Paul
Paul is absolutely correct.
The IRT must be asked to relocate the bus stop further down Camps Bay Drive to free up the stop street which handles the huge daily flow of traffic from Cape Town to Hout Bay.
I also agree that Argyle Road is physically not able to handle the large busses and two traffic lanes - one parked even if on one side only).
Can Chris, Beverley and Marga (the route is also in her constituency) pursue these matters please? I would suggest that Beverley and Marga wait until after our CBRRA Manco meeting before attempting to resolve the route, because, what happens if people do not agree which what they think and agree is a solution ?! Here must be a massive public participation process here. I suggest that after our meeting, Manco and our two Councillors request an interview with the Director of the IRT whoever he may be.
Cheers,
John
Dear John and Beverley,
Thanks for the email replies. My thoughts are as follows:
1. Camps Bay Drive is a busy road - used by those returning from town to both Camps Bay, Llundudno / Hout Bay and beyond. It is no wider than most "internal roads" within Camps Bay.
2. In summer, the road is largely gridlocked in the direction towards thew beach front.
3. We already have countless "City sightseeing buses" that contribute to further congestion along the route. Fortunately, they do not stop on CBD.
4. Placing a bus stop before Houghton Road (as is being processed currently) will only aggravate the traffic situation, not improve it, since many cars coming down Camps Bay Drive actually turn down Houghton to go on to Llundudno and Hout Bay / beyond. Taxis, with all their faults, are not reasonably compared to a large bus as regards traffic congestion.
5. If the route is to be used, the bus stop would be more efficiently placed beyond Houghton Road, perhaps opposite Houghton Steps, so as not to choke off the free flow of traffic wishing to turn left at Houghton from CBD. Common sense, in my opinion....Anyone who appreciates normal traffic flow surely would agree.
6. Furthermore, whilst I respect that you were kind enough to reply to my email and "don't make the rules", I fail to see how adverts in a community newspaper (which I may or may not read) constitute adequate notification of anything. When an individual wishes to apply for a building departure several hundred metres from my house, and often not in my line of sight, I get a registered letter mailed to me for potential objection, not an ad in a community newspaper. Obviously, the residents of Argyle and Tree roads are more avid readers of the Atlantic Sun, than am I.
7. I find it somewhat amusing that trenches are being dug right up to my (newly painted) boundary wall, even before the final routing is established, given the objections raised by residents of Argyle and Tree Roads. I don't have the time to canvas opinion from my neighbours, but would be very surprised if they were delighted by the prospect, if indeed they are even aware of the proposed bus route.
I realise my email is probably futile, but I may well seek legal opinion regarding the process
Dr Paul J Skoll, FRCS, FCS(SA)Plast
Hi Everyone
I am meeting with the Director of the IRT and concur with Argyle Residents that Argyle and Tree Rd are not the most appropriate options for the IRT route. Please wait for feedback from my meeting before any action or email flurry takes place. I would like to attempt to resolve this first with city officials before residents take any further action.
Regards,
Cllr. Beverley Schafer
Ward 54 ( Atlantic Seaboard)
Thanks Chris.
The road is now being carved up as I write this.
It would seem to be somewhat counter productive to proceed before the route has been finalised - twice the work and cost if this needs to be "undone", should the penny finally drop that the siting outside my house, only metres from the Houghton Road turn-off, will choke off the free flow of traffic heading towards Hout Bay, where-as there is a perfectly appropriate potential site for a bus stop opposite the Houghton Steps green belt, beyond the turn-off. Anyone with even the vaguest idea of traffic flow in the area could not argue this fact. Perhaps Ms Schafer or other decision makers could do a site inspection as a matter of urgency, to limit the need for a further waste of money.
Kind regards
Dr Paul J Skoll, FRCS, FCS(SA)Plast
Hi Paul
Cllr Beverley Schafer is currently in talks with the IRT officials.
I'm sure she will respond to your request soonest.
Cheers
Chris Willemse
Dear Paul,
Yes indeed this is a new bus stop on the new rapid transport network which is being opened between town and Camps Bay as well as via Sea Point to Hout Bay..
This is one of the very many new routes which, in the next year or two will transform Cape Town’s public transport system into a first world facility. When this particular route opens, you will be able to take a bus from your doorstep to the airport and back, amongst many other extended destinations and it will greatly relieve traffic congestion on our roads and fuel, carbon emissions etc. with most cars currently only having one person in them.
You would have seen full details of this route as an attachment to the 23 June 2011 Atlantic Sun (I have a copy) and that would have been the time to comment / object as all this was much advertised in all the newspapers. .
At No 92 Camps Bay Drive, I am almost as affected as you are, but I understand the need and will not object to this initiative. We simply cannot have the amount of underutilised cars on our roads as we do at present and, unless an initiative such as this is implemented now, Cape Town will be in traffic gridlock within the decade. The Council is to be congratulated for this and the sooner Capetonians start using it the better.
The Camps Bay loop will start at the Civic Centre as do most routes, comes over Kloof Nek, down Camps Bay Drive, past your and my houses and down to Victoria Road, It then turns up Argyle Road, Lower Tree Road, left up Geneva Drive and back over the Nek via the upper part of Camps Bay Drive again.
This route was obviously chosen to be as central and within walking distance from both sides of all those in Camps Bay who wish to catch it and there will be 20 bus stops such as this going up near you below Kloof Nek along the above route.
As there will be no lay-bye where the bus stop near you next to Houghton Road will be, the bus will simply stop in Camps Bay Drive, as do all taxis and people will have to wait as they do for taxis as the bus is too big to pass, the road is too narrow (6m for two lanes) for passing and there is a blind corner right there. Lower down in Camps Bay Drive may be too close to the next stop.
I have had an equally negative comment from people in Argyle Road who have asked why the route cannot go up Strathmore Road - the answer here being that the other roads in the area are too steep and too sharply curved for the big busses to get there and in any event that road is a dead end !
Should you wish to contact the Council about this matter, please email and copy to CBRRA.
Kind regards,
John Powell
Vice Chairperson
CBRRA
Hi,
Building continues. No response from anyone thus far.
Kind regards
Dr Paul J Skoll, FRCS, FCS(SA)Plast
Hi,
I wonder if I might ask a question:
I live at 80 Camps Bay Drive, and have done so since 2004. I arrived home today, to see some council type work (digging trenches) in front of my house adjacent to my boundary wall (on the pavement).
I enquired as to what this was about, and was told that a bus stop is being "built" in this location. No prior advice or word from council on the matter. In additiom, it seems a stange place to site a bus stop, since it is only a few metres from the Houghton road intersection
My questions:
1. Is this legal?
2. Do I have any means of objecting?
Please advise....
Thanks very much,
Kind regards
Dr Paul J Skoll, FRCS, FCS(SA)Plast
Plastic Surgeon
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