The Rea Vaya Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system is set to begin operating in Joburg at the end of the month.
Barriers have been erected to allow only buses to use the dedicated bus lanes. The following roads in the CBD will be affected: Market/Commissioner; Mooi/Troye; Smit/Wolmarans; Saratoga; Bertrams; Chris Hani; Klipspruitvalley; Sofasonke; and Mooki.
From Friday, the barriers will be erected along Miriam Makeba Road and the Soweto Highway. Road users should take note of special traffic signals intended for the BRT buses at intersections.
Traffic lights at the various intersections will display a red or green bus to regulate the BRT buses specifically.
Just a tip on travelling to and from Midrand or Pretoria: try to schedule your meetings between 10am and noon or between 1pm and 2.30pm.
Those are by far the best times to use the Ben Schoeman or alternative routes. Provided there have been no accidents, it takes me no more than 15-20 minutes between Sandton and the Olifantsfontein exit, off the N1 highway.
There still appears to be a great deal of confusion as to the speed limit on most highways while construction takes place. Many motorists claim they have received fines travelling 120km/h in a supposedly 80km/h zone.
My personal view is that while construction is taking place on highways across Gauteng, the speed should be set at 80km/h on all roads.
This week's best-kept secret is a brand-new road that has been opened, which will save a substantial amount of time for motorists who normally use Modderfontein Road.
If you are travelling on the N3 South and take the London Road exit, previously one could turn only left or right. Now, one can continue to travel straight onto the new road, which will take you past the back of Longmeadow and onto Modderfontein Road (R25).
This will help many people who get frustrated getting onto the N3 Modderfontein Road onramps from Greenstone, Kempton Park and Tembisa.
This article was originally published on page 3 of The Star on August 17, 2009