Delivered by Dr Herman Joubert during the 2016 Southern African Transport Conference (SATC), held in Pretoria, South Africa.

1. D R H E R M AN J O U B E R T
4 J U LY 2 0 1 6
PRACTICAL ROAD
MASTER PLANNING

2. DAILY IMPROVEMENT IS BETTER
THAN DELAYED PERFECTION
A large backlog has formed in the provision of
road infrastructure in urban areas
The development of functional and efficient road
networks as essential component of the transport
system in urban areas in South Africa is
constrained and complicated by the large backlog
that has developed in the provision of road
infrastructure, particularly arterial roads that are
required to provide mobility

3. CONTENTS
•Statutory framework
•Historic development of towns
•Layout considerations
•Operational considerations
•Management considerations
•Funding

4. Originally Wickquasgeck trail carved in the brush of
Manhattan by Native Americans
Became part of Manhattan one-way street system
Broadway New York USA
Permanent nature of roads

5. 2008/2009 traffic lanes converted to public plazas,
bike lanes added and portions closed entirely to
automobile traffic (except cross traffic)

6. STATUTORY FRAMEWORK
• CONSTITUTION
• A Municipality has the right to govern on its own initiative
the local government affairs of its community (Residents,
business, visitors)
• Municipal planning (Schedule 4)
• Municipal roads (Schedule 5)
• MUNICIPAL SYSTEMS ACT
• Service delivery
• Integrated Development Plan
• NATIONAL LAND TRANSPORT ACT (NO 5, 2009)
• NLTTA focused on public transport
• Integrated Transport Plans are designed to give structure to
the function of municipal planning (Constitution) and must
be accommodated and form an essential part of integrated
development plans

7. HISTORIC GROWTH OF TOWNS
• FUNCTIONS
• Serve farming community and some industries
• Provide social and government functions at local and regional
level (education, judicial, police, medical, administrative)
• Centroid connected by provincial roads
• OUTCOME
• Heavily dependent on national and provincial arterials
• Traffic generators with direct access to arterials
• Historically low through traffic, now large volumes of through
traffic, including freight and heavy trucks that overnight in
towns
• Many businesses still rely on exposure to through traffic
• Negative impact on central business areas

8. JOHANNESBURG & PRETORIA DURING
THE 1960’S
• North-south traffic through the central parts of
the city
• Replaced by by-pass roads
• Emerging ring roads (USA metropolitan areas
and Beijing)
BY-PASS ROADS HAVE A DEVASTATING
IMPACT ON THE ECONOMIC ACTIVITY IN
SMALLER TOWNS

9. LAYOUT CONSIDERATIONS
• CONTINUITY OF ARTERIAL ROADS
• Existing layout
• Topographic and environmental constraints
• TRAFFIC CONTROL
• Traffic signal control (> 1200 vehicles / hour)
• Controlled crossing of pedestrians
• INTERSECTION SPACING
• Retrofit impossible (Beaufort West)
• One-way systems (Polokwane)
• MANAGE ACCESS TO MAJOR TRIP
GENERATORS
• DIVERT THROUGH TRAFFIC

10. TLOKWE ROAD MASTER PLAN
Long term by-pass
Urban arterial
network
Continuity

11. MATLOSANA ROAD MASTER PLAN
• Long term by-pass
• Note linear growth along
mobility corridor

12. MATLOSANA LOCAL ACCESS
MANAGEMENT PLAN

13. KNYSNA BY-PASS PLANNING

14. KNYSNA BY-PASS PLANNING

15. POLOKWANE ONE-WAY SYSTEM AND
N1 BY-PASS ROAD

16. OPERATIONAL CONSIDERATIONS
• Remove on-street parking along
arterials
• Restrict turning movements
• Accommodation of freight transport
(provide stop and rest areas)
• Public transport facilities (Stop / rank /
hold)

17. MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS
• IMPLEMENTATION OF ARTERIAL ROUTES
• Example: Expansion of Mimosa Centre in
Mangaung (Bloemfontein)
• Co-operation between Municipality and developer
to resolve 20 year issue
• ACCESS THROUGH MY NEIGHBOUR’S
PROPERTY
• INTEGRATION BETWEEN MUNICIPAL AND
PROVINCIAL / NATIONAL ROADS
• Access to towns versus access to properties: a
balancing trick

19. MC HARDY / KELLNER CORRIDOR
MIMOSA MALL MANGAUNG

20. MC HARDY / KELLNER CORRIDOR
MIMOSA MALL MANGAUNG

21. FUNDING
• Integrated Development
Plan – Municipal budget
• Engineering service
contributions – developers
should provide infernal
roads and contribute to
mitigate the impact of the
increased traffic load on
the municipal major
(external) road network
(TMH 15)

22. CONCLUSIONS
• Road Master Planning is an essential part of integrated
development planning
• Roads have long term impact and road planning requires a
long term view
• Creating continuous mobility corridors in historic towns is a
major challenge and should follow an inter-disciplinary
approach
• The development of municipal road networks should be
addressed at the following levels:
• Planning – Layout
• Operational – Traffic management
• Management of implementation
• Implement engineering service contributions as part of the
municipal rates policy