African project
Nomzamo Public Transport Facility
Nomzamo, a small township just outside of Strand in the Western Cape,
South Africa, can now boast a Public Transport Facility (PTF) that gives
priority to the community’s needs, thanks to the successful design and
construction work carried out by SMEC South Africa.
T
he Nomzamo community hall and business centre were built some 12 years
ago. At that time the taxi rank was simply a grass and gravel patch located
between the community hall and Michael Street, which was being used
informally by minibus taxis to load passengers.
Having identified the urgent need for the informal minibus-taxi rank to be
upgraded, the City of Cape Town appointed SMEC South Africa in January
2013 to carry out the design and construction of the Nomzamo PTF. The
preliminary design was completed in July 2013, while construction of the
facility was finalised in August 2015.
“The new facility has integrated several aspects of sustainability into its functionality,”
Doug Calverey, SMEC South Africa, technical specialist: roads and highways, comments.
“It has been planned to accommodate minibus-taxi movements in the most efficient
manner.”
In addition, the commuter has been treated as the number one priority in terms of
comfort and safety, so that conflicts between pedestrians and moving minibus-taxis
are reduced. The roadway along Michael Street, which passes through the minibus-taxi
precinct, has been raised and paved with a grey interlocking concrete paver, so that
drivers are made aware that they are entering a public transport area where pedestrians
have priority.
Safe pedestrian crossings have been provided at strategic points, delineated in red brick
pavers so as to stand out from the surrounding grey concrete or black asphalt. The
commuter loading and off-loading areas, as well as the pedestrian walkways, have all
been designed with overhead canopies to ensure adequate protection against sun and rain.
Low walls and bollards under tree cover have been designed to double as seating
opportunities and to prevent minibus-taxis from mounting the kerbs and parking in areas
identified for the exclusive use of the commuter.
Adequate refuse bins have been placed at strategic positions on columns or against walls
to discourage the scattering of litter. The buildings themselves include a meeting room for
use by the community and the taxi association.
The Red Box Security Tower has been designed so that the security officer has an
unobstructed view of the whole taxi rank as well as the adjacent soccer kick-about fields
and the pedestrian avenue in front of the community centre. The buildings also include a
manager’s office so that adequate management can be provided by the city to control the
maintenance, cleaning and operation of this important public transport facility. This is
critical, as the facility generates a huge volume of litter deposited by commuters.
Six trading kiosks have been constructed specifically for traders who wish to cook and
provide food for commuters and taxi drivers. These will be hired out by the City of Cape
Town at a suitable rental to cover operational costs.
24 africandesignmagazine.com