JOHANNESBURG, (CAJ News) – JOHANNESBURG Mayor, Parks Tau, has urged African cities to develop policies that will pave way for eco-mobile forms of transportation and ease traffic congestion.

He said most African cities also needed a reliable, affordable integrated public transport system that will make it easy for people to park their cars and commute.

“All cities should give a priority to their policy making, in their investment, in their planning … to what we call eco mobility, which is a combination of cycling, walking, wheeling, public transport, shared vehicles and how that is well inter-connected,” he said.

He noted however each city was different as were the climate zones and geographical situations.

“So, there is no one solution.”

Tau spoke as the city was concluding the month-long Ecomobility Festival which was hosted in Sandton this past October.

Eco mobility, which fits into the broader topic of building smart cities, is expected to be on the agenda when several African cities converge in Sandton later this month to attend the seventh Africities Summit, which is organised by the United Cities and Local Governments in Africa (UCLGA).

Tau said internalising eco mobility would be beneficial for African cities as almost all of them have one common challenge – urbanisation.

Many people, especially the youth, are moving from poorer rural areas into urban spaces to seek employment opportunities.

This, however, results in urban space populations increasing rapidly, putting a strain on roads and other transport infrastructure.

The City of Johannesburg is home to more than 4,6 million people with an estimated growth rate of 1,8 per year.

– CAJ News