Part 3: Status Quo 2008
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PART 3: STATUS QUO 2008 2.1 Transportation Movement within the Rosebank Study Area is if not the most important, certainly one of the most important components of a well functioning Node. The Study Area has a well established functional road hierarchy/classification which has been identified by the Johannesburg Roads Agency taking the following factors into consideration: Vehicle volumes; Vehicle speeds; Traffic control measures; Surrounding land-use; Pedestrian activities; Pedestrian facilities; Public transport facilities; Mobility function; Accessibility function; Continuity; Traffic control; Providing connectivity; Strategic importance; Apparent road function; Regional importance. Although adjustments to these considerations are necessary in the light of the Gautrain Rapid Rail Link Project, the existing functional road hierarchy will assist as a point of departure for all other planning issues related to access, parking and trip making either through walking, cycling or driving within the precinct. The following provides a short summary of the different functional classes of roads and the meaning of these classes 5: Class 1: Trunk Roads (National and Regional Freeways) Generally these are rural roads. Their function is to facilitate the regional distribution of traffic. These can be national or provincial roads and include freeways, expressways, dual carriageways and single carriageway main roads. Continuous sections of these roads in urban areas should be designed as by-pass routes. Route continuity is important. Example: M1 Highway 5 National Guidelines for Traffic Calming, Department of Transport, March 1996 22 PART 3: STATUS QUO 2008 Class 2: Primary Distributors or Major Arterials (Distributor Roads) These roads constitute the primary road network for the urban area as a whole. All long distance traffic movements to, from and within the city should be accommodated on these roads. They are characterised by high traffic volumes, limited access and fairly high speeds. Route continuity again is important. Example: Jan Smuts Avenue, Oxford Road, and Bolton Road. Class 3: District Distributors or Minor Arterials (Collector Roads) These roads form the link between the primary road network and roads within the residential and other land use areas. They distribute traffic between the various residential, commercial and industrial districts of the urban area. These roads are characterised by high traffic volumes, restricted access and moderate speeds. The major public transport movement is accommodated by these roads, which therefore must also provide the necessary supporting infrastructure (preferably off the travelled roadway). Once again route continuity is important. Example: Baker Street, Bompas Road, Craddock Avenue, Glenhove, and Hood. Class 4: Local Distributors (Internal Roads) These are local through routes, which distribute traffic within communities and link district distributors and access roads. Local bus services can be accommodated on these roads and therefore they should be open ended. Local distributors should accommodate traffic generated by between 400 and 1200 dwelling units. The road layout should discourage extraneous traffic (i.e. there should be no available short-cuts between adjacent class 2 or 3 roads). Access to individual properties should not be encouraged. These roads should not be continuous between adjacent neighbourhood cells (e.g. through the provision of staggered intersections etc).Example: Jellicoe, Tyrwhitt, ect. Class 5: Residential Access Roads These roads provide direct access to property within a residential area. Access for motor vehicles is not the only function of these roads. The roads are also used for recreational purposes (running, cycling, walking etc). Example: Tottenham, Seventh, and Eighth Street. The higher order roads normally fulfil a high mobility function, giving priority to vehicular movement whilst lower order roads compromise low mobility for the provision of direct access and giving priority to pedestrian movement. The current functional road hierarchy/classification is shown in Figure 12. Based on the classifications, the current hierarchy surrounding the Rosebank Station comprises mainly Class 2, Class 3 and Class 4/5 roads. Rosebank Station adjoins a Class 2: Major Arterial (Oxford Road) which provides a strong north-south linkage. An important and strong east-west linkage exists with the Bolton Road / Glenhove Road Major Arterial located south of the Rosebank Station and Jellicoe Avenue which forms the northern boundary of the Rosebank Box and which links with Jan Smuts Avenue and Oxford Road. Tyrwhitt Avenue is the busiest and most important east-west pedestrian routes even though it is not a through route. It is located to the north f the Rosebank Station and the one Gautrain Station entrance will be located at the intersection of Tyrwhitt and Oxford Road where Tyrwhitt is a pedestrian mall. 23 PART 3: STATUS QUO 2008 Figure 12: Functional Road Hierarchy/Classification 24 PART 3: STATUS QUO 2008 2.2 Public Transport The Rosebank Study Area has been identified as one of the Public Transportation Hubs in Gauteng. This is due to its excellent location as a Regional Node within Johannesburg, and Gauteng. Rosebank not only functions a one of the economic nodes within the city but, it will become a transportation node and mix use node, where people can access all its activities with ease. This will put Rosebank on the map as a multifunctional Hub within the City and Province. Before going into any detail about the various modes of public transport found within the Rosebank Study Area it’s necessary to first provide some information regarding the hierarchy of public transport within Rosebank. Similar to the Functional road hierarchy, the public transport hierarchy also has various levels. These levels are depicted in Figure 13. Public transport within Gauteng used to consist of tree levels, but with the new GRRL and BRT systems it has changed. The hierarchy within Rosebank starts with Mini-bus Taxi’s at the lowest level, which is followed by Metered Taxi’s, and the Metro Bus System. The new BRT System slots in next and is followed by the GRRL which is the highest level within the hierarchy. Together it forms the new 5 tier transportation hierarchy within the Study Area as well as the City. Figure 13: Public Transport Hierarchy In order for the Public Transport system to work within the Rosebank Study Area, the various public transportation systems need to be linked to ensure that the commuter has a modal choice. This means that all the different modes should be linked to one another to create an inter-modal connection. Each of the different modes will be used to get to different locations with variations in travelling times. A person living in Dunkeld can access the BRT system via Pridwin Station and use it to access the GRRL to go to Tshwane or OR Tambo International Airport. This is only an example of how the hierarchy might work in the near future. In order to gain a better understanding the various modes of Public Transport, they will briefly be discussed below as they appear in the above-mentioned hierarchy. 25 PART 3: STATUS QUO 2008 2.2.1 Rosebank Gautrain Rapid Rail Link (GRRL) Rosebank Station is the second most southerly station of the GRRL and one of the three underground Stations of the project that are situated in the southernmost part of the system in the Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipal area. GRRL’s Rosebank Station is located in the Johannesburg suburb bearing the same name as the station which is approximately 5km north of Johannesburg’s Central Business District and the GRRL station serving that area, Park Station. The station is located directly below and runs parallel to Oxford Road as shown in Figure 14 below. The station will serve passengers traveling to and from residential premises in the area, the small number of commercial offices, those wishing to utilise the retail outlets and passengers wishing to transfer to above ground feeder bus services, metered taxi’s or minibus taxis. The station will serve the north/south train services between Park and Pretoria by the Rosebank Station Location Map provision of two side platforms. Passengers wishing to travel by GRRL to Johannesburg International Airport from Rosebank Station will be able to do so by changing trains at Sandton Station. The form and arrangement of the station is determined by having to meet the rail alignment requirements and the need to be located in a densely populated and developed urban environment to serve the pre-defined catchment area. The station will also have to be located across to the eastern side of Oxford Road to allow temporary traffic lanes during construction to be maintained and to allow access within the site for construction traffic. With the related constraints imposed by the location of the station, Rosebank Station is being developed as an underground station, two levels are required, the first underground level being a public concourse area to allow passengers to circulate and access the platform level and the second being the passenger platform area. Three entrances will be provided, one will be by the above ground car park building that will be Conceptual Site Development Plan constructed by CJV to the southeast of the station and two other entrances will be placed on the western side of Oxford Road. The northernmost of these two entrances will be adjacent to the ‘Rosebank Mall’ shopping facility; the southernmost of the two entrances will be located adjacent to a feeder bus set down area approximately opposite the above ground car park building. A future entrance to the northeast of the station to provide a link to Tyrwhitt Avenue has also been allowed for. All entrances situated on the public pavement areas are steel framed buildings incorporating a gently curved steel roof with metal sheet covering, glazed facade and pigmented render walls. Externally, the cantilevered roofs are supported by columns to be designed according to the Gautrain Master Architect guidelines 6.