Transport test finds quickest means to an end
22 July 2010, 15:19
An idyllic ride to another great day
Heidi Swart
I left Mitchells Plain at 7.25am on my 200cc scrambler. After driving the 29.2km journey down Vanguard Drive and the N2, I arrived at Newspaper House in St George's Mall just 36 minutes later.
It was an idyllic ride. Happy people were walking to work and smiling, mothers were driving their children to school. Others were off to another great day at the office.
I blended in, despite my green motorcycle, yellow helmet, and red jacket. No one pushed anyone out of the way, and everyone was courteous.
The traffic flowed freely, which I found surprising for 7.30am on a weekday morning.
Mostly I just cruised along at 80km/h. And at 44km to the litre, this trip was worthwhile.
I parked close to work, was the first to arrive, and was at my desk at 8.01am.
Last to arrive after a tiring but entertaining journey to the city
Janis Kinnear
I STOOD on the platform at the Mitchells Plain station, staring down the railway track. Not a train was in sight.
Fifteen minutes had passed when, fashionably late and exhaling cold air, I boarded a train with about 50 fellow commuters, at 7.45am yesterday.
It immediately caught my attention that the carriage was strangely emptier than I had anticipated.
But after two stations the carriage was packed.
Chatter among commuters revealed that trains had been delayed.
I had no complaints about comfort, as I was lucky to get a spot on the first-class carriage's grey leatherette seats.
Staring out of the window, the sight of sewage lining the back of the Nyanga community reminded me once again why service delivery is such a hot potato.
The train made a few pit-stops, such as between Lentegeur and Philippi stations for about three minutes, then chugged along in slow motion from Pinelands.
The girl sitting opposite me, clad in her "winter-wear" white-hooded top with fur trim, had her head buried in an obviously riveting read.
But it was evident that train travellers are a friendly bunch, open to voicing their opinions.
I talked to Edith Ikaneng, from Gugulethu, who had a lot to say.
"I just don't know what time the train comes anymore," she told me.
She also explained how she pays for a MetroPlus ticket, but still feels like she's back in third class.
A monthly MetroPlus ticket from her area costs R192.
I am the last to arrive at the office - at 8.45 am.
Quick and pleasant journey by bus
Fouzia van der Fort
MY journey started in a queue at the Mitchells Plain bus terminus at 7.30am.
My fellow commuters confirmed that the next bus would leave in 10 minutes.
I paid the R21.80 fare and found a window seat. The bus pulled away at 7.38am.
Many seats were empty when the bus departed, but were quickly filled as passengers boarded at stops along AZ Berman Drive. The bus was full by the time it turned on to the R300.
It moved swiftly between cars before it moved into the BMT lane on the N2.
Only a few passengers remained when the bus reached the terminus in Cape Town at 8.20am.
The journey was quick and pleasant.
I was the fourth to arrive at work at 8.30am.
Road trip proves a breeze
Lynnette Johns
I WAS expecting to join a slow trek of traffic from Mitchells Plain into the CBD, and to jostle with taxi drivers as I have done for the past decade, but yesterday morning my road trip to work was a breeze.
School and public holidays aside, the peak-hour traffic from the area's business hub into the city is usually an arduous 25km trip.
Leaving Mitchells Plain in my VW Polo, at 7.22am yesterday, I expected bumper-to-bumper traffic. When I leave home at 6am I arrive in town at 7am. If I leave at 6.30am, it can take from an hour to an hour and a half.
But yesterday I shook my head in disbelief - where was the N2 tailback? I expected to find it at the airport, then at Athlone, and at Liesbeeck Parkway. But there was nothing.
The traffic was heavy, but free-flowing. The BMT lane was not as busy as I thought it would be, and there were no taxis forcing their way on to Settler's Way at Liesbeeck Parkway. The journey, from the town centre, down AZ Berman Drive on to the R300 and then the N2, took me half an hour.
I made it to our parking garage in Bree Street at 7.52am and was in the office at 8.12am.
Surprisingly smooth going
Natasha Prince
CAPE Town traffic is as unpredictable as its weather, and a simple fender bender could cause long delays.
But it was apparent that I had chosen a good day to take a taxi from Mitchells Plain to Cape Town - a journey that got me to work in about 50 minutes in peak-hour traffic yesterday.
I stood in the "Cape Town via the freeway" queue at Mitchells Plain Town Centre for 15 minutes before being bundled into a taxi at 7.45am.
I sat on the back seat and, much to my surprise, there were no familiar "watch your perm against the window" bumper stickers, or any that read: "No heavyweights allowed in the front seat."
I also didn't see a spanner jammed into the gear lever, or screwdrivers in the window winder as foretold in horror taxi stories.
It was not a death trap.
The taxi I travelled in was clean and comfortable.
Anxious to leave, some passengers mumbled complaints when the taxi driver stopped for petrol.
There was no taxi guard and R10 fares had to be passed to the front. We departed at 7.50am and drove along AZ Berman Drive, before turning on to the R300 and later the N2.
There were no tailbacks and we escaped bumper-to-bumper traffic as the driver zipped in and out of the BMT lane.
Traffic slowed near Langa and, later, on Hospital Bend, but the driver continued at a steady pace.
The sounds of Christina Aguilera, Boys to Men and jazz artists made the journey pleasurable.
The passenger seated next to me also kept me company during the journey.
"When it rains or when there's an accident it's not normally like this. There's a lot more traffic," he said.
He also told me that the traffic flowed better during school holidays, but added that the BMT lane "makes a huge difference".
We arrived at the station deck in Cape Town at 8.10am and, after a quick walk/run to the office, I clocked in at 8.20am.
Heidi Swart
I left Mitchells Plain at 7.25am on my 200cc scrambler. After driving the 29.2km journey down Vanguard Drive and the N2, I arrived at Newspaper House in St George's Mall just 36 minutes later.
It was an idyllic ride. Happy people were walking to work and smiling, mothers were driving their children to school. Others were off to another great day at the office.
I blended in, despite my green motorcycle, yellow helmet, and red jacket. No one pushed anyone out of the way, and everyone was courteous.
The traffic flowed freely, which I found surprising for 7.30am on a weekday morning.
Mostly I just cruised along at 80km/h. And at 44km to the litre, this trip was worthwhile.
I parked close to work, was the first to arrive, and was at my desk at 8.01am.
Last to arrive after a tiring but entertaining journey to the city
Janis Kinnear
I STOOD on the platform at the Mitchells Plain station, staring down the railway track. Not a train was in sight.
Fifteen minutes had passed when, fashionably late and exhaling cold air, I boarded a train with about 50 fellow commuters, at 7.45am yesterday.
It immediately caught my attention that the carriage was strangely emptier than I had anticipated.
But after two stations the carriage was packed.
Chatter among commuters revealed that trains had been delayed.
I had no complaints about comfort, as I was lucky to get a spot on the first-class carriage's grey leatherette seats.
Staring out of the window, the sight of sewage lining the back of the Nyanga community reminded me once again why service delivery is such a hot potato.
The train made a few pit-stops, such as between Lentegeur and Philippi stations for about three minutes, then chugged along in slow motion from Pinelands.
The girl sitting opposite me, clad in her "winter-wear" white-hooded top with fur trim, had her head buried in an obviously riveting read.
But it was evident that train travellers are a friendly bunch, open to voicing their opinions.
I talked to Edith Ikaneng, from Gugulethu, who had a lot to say.
"I just don't know what time the train comes anymore," she told me.
She also explained how she pays for a MetroPlus ticket, but still feels like she's back in third class.
A monthly MetroPlus ticket from her area costs R192.
I am the last to arrive at the office - at 8.45 am.
Quick and pleasant journey by bus
Fouzia van der Fort
MY journey started in a queue at the Mitchells Plain bus terminus at 7.30am.
My fellow commuters confirmed that the next bus would leave in 10 minutes.
I paid the R21.80 fare and found a window seat. The bus pulled away at 7.38am.
Many seats were empty when the bus departed, but were quickly filled as passengers boarded at stops along AZ Berman Drive. The bus was full by the time it turned on to the R300.
It moved swiftly between cars before it moved into the BMT lane on the N2.
Only a few passengers remained when the bus reached the terminus in Cape Town at 8.20am.
The journey was quick and pleasant.
I was the fourth to arrive at work at 8.30am.
Road trip proves a breeze
Lynnette Johns
I WAS expecting to join a slow trek of traffic from Mitchells Plain into the CBD, and to jostle with taxi drivers as I have done for the past decade, but yesterday morning my road trip to work was a breeze.
School and public holidays aside, the peak-hour traffic from the area's business hub into the city is usually an arduous 25km trip.
Leaving Mitchells Plain in my VW Polo, at 7.22am yesterday, I expected bumper-to-bumper traffic. When I leave home at 6am I arrive in town at 7am. If I leave at 6.30am, it can take from an hour to an hour and a half.
But yesterday I shook my head in disbelief - where was the N2 tailback? I expected to find it at the airport, then at Athlone, and at Liesbeeck Parkway. But there was nothing.
The traffic was heavy, but free-flowing. The BMT lane was not as busy as I thought it would be, and there were no taxis forcing their way on to Settler's Way at Liesbeeck Parkway. The journey, from the town centre, down AZ Berman Drive on to the R300 and then the N2, took me half an hour.
I made it to our parking garage in Bree Street at 7.52am and was in the office at 8.12am.
Surprisingly smooth going
Natasha Prince
CAPE Town traffic is as unpredictable as its weather, and a simple fender bender could cause long delays.
But it was apparent that I had chosen a good day to take a taxi from Mitchells Plain to Cape Town - a journey that got me to work in about 50 minutes in peak-hour traffic yesterday.
I stood in the "Cape Town via the freeway" queue at Mitchells Plain Town Centre for 15 minutes before being bundled into a taxi at 7.45am.
I sat on the back seat and, much to my surprise, there were no familiar "watch your perm against the window" bumper stickers, or any that read: "No heavyweights allowed in the front seat."
I also didn't see a spanner jammed into the gear lever, or screwdrivers in the window winder as foretold in horror taxi stories.
It was not a death trap.
The taxi I travelled in was clean and comfortable.
Anxious to leave, some passengers mumbled complaints when the taxi driver stopped for petrol.
There was no taxi guard and R10 fares had to be passed to the front. We departed at 7.50am and drove along AZ Berman Drive, before turning on to the R300 and later the N2.
There were no tailbacks and we escaped bumper-to-bumper traffic as the driver zipped in and out of the BMT lane.
Traffic slowed near Langa and, later, on Hospital Bend, but the driver continued at a steady pace.
The sounds of Christina Aguilera, Boys to Men and jazz artists made the journey pleasurable.
The passenger seated next to me also kept me company during the journey.
"When it rains or when there's an accident it's not normally like this. There's a lot more traffic," he said.
He also told me that the traffic flowed better during school holidays, but added that the BMT lane "makes a huge difference".
We arrived at the station deck in Cape Town at 8.10am and, after a quick walk/run to the office, I clocked in at 8.20am.
- This article was originally published on page 6 of The Cape Argus on July 22, 2010
Cape Town
