173 research outputs found
Opportunities for public private partnerships in IRPTN infrastructure
The Integrated Rapid Public Transport Network interventions in 13 cities in South Africa came about as a result of a forward thinking public transport strategy being presented by Government in 2007. Since then, costs of both implementation and operation have been shown to be higher than expected. The future budgeted capital funding required to roll out the proposed public transport investments are in excess of the level of grant funding likely to be available from the national fiscus. Third party funding options need to be actively investigated and developed to augment the capital investment allocations provided through the national fiscus.
One such third party funding option is Public Private Partnerships in the development and operation of selected public transport infrastructure. This paper aims to reduce the mystique attached to Private Public Partnership (PPP) initiatives and seeks to link the use of PPP principles to the funding difficulties in IRPTNs.
The paper concludes that PPP?s may well be a viable source of funding for selected elements or components of the IRPTNs. This will however require interventions at a National level in order to reduce the administrative burden on each of the 13 involved cities.Paper presented at the 34th Annual Southern African Transport Conference 6-9 July 2015 "Working Together to Deliver - Sakha Sonke", CSIR International Convention Centre, Pretoria, South Africa.The Minister of Transport, South AfricaTransportation Research Board of the US
Models and implications for industry compensation in the restructuring of public transport in South Africa
Paper presented at the 33rd Annual Southern African Transport Conference 7-10 July 2014 "Leading Transport into the Future", CSIR International Convention Centre, Pretoria, South Africa.The concept of compensating existing public transport operators for the detrimental impact
of the roll-out of large-scale, publicly funded IPTNs on their businesses is valid. However,
the general approach to compensation adopted by South Africa to date is not financially
viable and has serious implications for future developments. Different compensation
models that look to align operators’ success, financial and otherwise, with that of the new
system they are incorporated into, must be considered and adopted going forward to
ensure the sustainability of the country’s public transport transformation programme.This paper was transferred from the original CD ROM created for this conference. The material was published using Adobe Acrobat 10.1.0 Technology. The original CD ROM was produced by CE Projects cc. Postal Address: PO Box 560 Irene 0062 South Africa. Tel.: +27 12 667 2074 Fax: +27 12 667 2766 E-mail: [email protected]
Public transport transformation : an incremental approach to delivering public transport systems in South Africa
Paper presented at the 33rd Annual Southern African Transport Conference 7-10 July 2014 "Leading Transport into the Future", CSIR International Convention Centre, Pretoria, South Africa.The rollout of Integrated Rapid Public Transport Networks (IRPTNs) in 13 cities across South
Africa has been a significant step forward in the provision of safe, affordable and reliable public
transport services to the communities of our cities and towns. The incorporation of the existing
minibus taxi operators into these systems has fundamentally changed the role of local government
and the existing operators in the provision of public transport services and these changes have not
come without their risks.
This paper explores some of the risks experienced by the current approach to the design of our
IRPTNs and suggests an alternative approach to the transformation of public transport services in
South Africa. This alternative approach attempts to build on the capacity that already exists within
the public transport sector whilst still being able to deliver regular, reliable and affordable transport
services without some of the institutional and financial strains currently being experienced.This paper was transferred from the original CD ROM created for this conference. The material was published using Adobe Acrobat 10.1.0 Technology. The original CD ROM was produced by CE Projects cc. Postal Address: PO Box 560 Irene 0062 South Africa. Tel.: +27 12 667 2074 Fax: +27 12 667 2766 E-mail: [email protected]
Towards a provincial public transport institutional framework for public and non-motorised transport transformation and improvement in the Western Cape
The Western Cape Government is currently developing a Provincial Public Transport Institutional Framework (PPTIF) to guide public and non-motorised transport improvement in the non-Metro areas of the Province. The framework aims to address the critical barriers to improving the current unacceptable state of affairs. The framework incorporates innovative approaches to tackling the challenges faced by the sector. Once the framework has been completed, it will be implemented.
The PPTIF differs from the Provincial Land Transport Framework (PLTF). The primary reason for the PLTF is to serve as a strategic management tool for the provincial transport department and includes the vision, objectives and policies of the department; current public transport strategies and sector strategies as well as associated financial, monitoring and institutional arrangements.
The PPTIF develops aspects of the PLTF in more detail, developing an institutional framework for achieving the improvement to public and non-motorised transport envisioned by the Department. The PPTIF also introduces innovative mechanisms for reducing cost and enhancing capacity to implement, which will inform future versions of the Provincial Land Transport Framework (PLTF).Paper presented at the 34th Annual Southern African Transport Conference 6-9 July 2015 "Working Together to Deliver - Sakha Sonke", CSIR International Convention Centre, Pretoria, South Africa.The Minister of Transport, South AfricaTransportation Research Board of the US
Financing IRPTN operations : considerations for cities implementing I(R)PTNs in South Africa
The case for investment in road-based public transport in South Africa is provided in the Public Transport Strategy for South Africa (2007) and subsequent policy positions by the national Department of Transport (DOT). This gave rise to the Integrated (Rapid) Public Transport Networks (I(R)PTNs) to be implemented in then 12 (now 13) priority cities. To support this implementation, the national Department of Transport created a conditional grant to the priority municipalities, first called the Public Transport Infrastructure Fund (PTIF), then the Public Transport Infrastructure and Systems Grant (PTISG) and now the Public Transport Infrastructure Grant (PTIG) and the Public Transport Network Operations Grant (PTNOG).
Planning, establishment and rollout of the I(R)PTNs in the 13 cities, over the seven years to 2014, has highlighted the real costs of these systems. There is an emerging recognition of the extent of the I(R)PTN operational costs. Initial expectations were that fare income from passengers would cover the operating costs (at least the direct operating costs) of the system. However, implementation in a number of cities to date has shown that the fare box is not sufficient to cover the direct operating costs of the I(R)PTNs, unless the fares in the new system are increased significantly above the current costs of existing public transport. Such an increase would not be economically feasible for passengers and consequently introduce unacceptable affordability issues and open the way for competition with the I(R)PTN.
As a result, cities have to consider alternative avenues to finance the direct operating costs of their I(R)PTNs. Some income sources are directly related to the new transport system (including advertising on the I(R)PTNs and congestion charges), some are commercial revenue options, and some are funding options from Municipal resources (eg increases in the rates bill, equitable share, services income). This paper explores the range of income options available to cities and the potential contribution to offsetting the shortfall.
Based on the evidence to date, the operational shortfalls of I(R)PTNs in South Africa are greater than anticipated and, despite the opportunities for additional funding explored here, it is likely that significant shortfalls will remain. This presents a financial risk for city treasuries with whom rests the ultimate responsibility for covering the I(R)PTN costs. A continued conversation about funding for I(R)PTNs is therefore urgently required.Paper presented at the 34th Annual Southern African Transport Conference 6-9 July 2015 "Working Together to Deliver - Sakha Sonke", CSIR International Convention Centre, Pretoria, South Africa.The Minister of Transport, South AfricaTransportation Research Board of the US
IRPTN vehicle financing options and considerations
The roll-out of comprehensive public transport networks in our major cities is requiring considerable up-front investment by government. The acquisition of the bus fleet presents the second largest component of capital expenditure by the implementing municipalities. Various fleet financing models have been adopted including the use of national grant funding and debt. This paper sets out to describe the various financing models that have been used to date and highlight their implications with respect to various criteria including cost, risk and complexity.
The paper then moves on to discuss the concern of municipal treasuries surrounding the potential consolidation of the buses onto the books of the municipalities and evaluates the effectiveness of the move to finance the buses ?off-balance sheet?. The rationale for the National Department of Transport?s (?NDOT?) preference for the use of Export Credit Agency financing (?ECAs?) as the financing route of choice is also discussed.
The paper then addresses the outcomes of an on- versus off-balance sheet financing structure, and the implications on both the financing model and the underlying institutional structure. An alternate model is then introduced which proposes a hybrid between the debt financing options used thus far in an attempt to mitigate the short comings present in the existing models.Paper presented at the 34th Annual Southern African Transport Conference 6-9 July 2015 "Working Together to Deliver - Sakha Sonke", CSIR International Convention Centre, Pretoria, South Africa.The Minister of Transport, South AfricaTransportation Research Board of the US
Urban eddy covariance measurements reveal significant missing NOx emissions in Central Europe
Nitrogen oxide (NOx) pollution is emerging as a primary environmental concern across Europe. While some large European metropolitan areas are already in breach of EU safety limits for NO2, this phenomenon does not seem to be only restricted to large industrialized areas anymore. Many smaller scale populated agglomerations including their surrounding rural areas are seeing frequent NO2 concentration violations. The question of a quantitative understanding of different NOx emission sources is therefore of immanent relevance for climate and air chemistry models as well as air pollution management and health. Here we report simultaneous eddy covariance flux measurements of NOx, CO2, CO and non methane volatile organic compound tracers in a city that might be considered representative for Central Europe and the greater Alpine region. Our data show that NOx fluxes are largely at variance with modelled emission projections, suggesting an appreciable underestimation of the traffic related atmospheric NOx input in Europe, comparable to the weekend-weekday effect, which locally changes ozone production rates by 40%
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Ubiquitous Presence of Fe(II) in Aquatic Colloids and Its Association with Organic Carbon
Despite being thermodynamically less stable, small ferrous colloids (60 nm to 3 μm in diameter) remain an important component of the biogeochemical cycle at the Earth’s surface, yet their composition and structure and the reasons for their persistence are still poorly understood. Here we use X-ray-based Fe L-edge and carbon K-edge spectromicroscopy to address the speciation and organic–mineral associations of ferrous, ferric, and Fe-poor particles collected from sampling sites in both marine and freshwater environments. We show that Fe(II)-rich phases are prevalent throughout different aquatic regimes yet exhibit a high degree of chemical heterogeneity. Furthermore, we show that Fe-rich particles show strong associations with organic carbon. The observed association of Fe(II) particles with carboxamide functional groups suggests a possible microbial role in the preservation of Fe(II). These finding have significant implications for the behavior of Fe(II) colloids in oxygenated waters, and their role in different aquatic biogeochemical processes
Reviewing evidence of marine ecosystem change off South Africa
Recent changes have been observed in South African marine ecosystems. The main pressures on these
ecosystems are fishing, climate change, pollution, ocean acidification and mining. The best long-term datasets are
for trends in fishing pressures but there are many gaps, especially for non-commercial species. Fishing pressures
have varied over time, depending on the species being caught. Little information exists for trends in other
anthropogenic pressures. Field observations of environmental variables are limited in time and space. Remotely
sensed satellite data have improved spatial and temporal coverage but the time-series are still too short to
distinguish long-term trends from interannual and decadal variability. There are indications of recent cooling on the
West and South coasts and warming on the East Coast over a period of 20 - 30 years. Oxygen concentrations on the
West Coast have decreased over this period. Observed changes in offshore marine communities include southward
and eastward changes in species distributions, changes in abundance of species, and probable alterations in
foodweb dynamics. Causes of observed changes are difficult to attribute. Full understanding of marine ecosystem
change requires ongoing and effective data collection, management and archiving, and coordination in carrying out
ecosystem research.DHE
Multi-model seascape genomics identifies distinct environmental drivers of selection among sympatric marine species
Background
As global change and anthropogenic pressures continue to increase, conservation and management increasingly needs to consider species’ potential to adapt to novel environmental conditions. Therefore, it is imperative to characterise the main selective forces acting on ecosystems, and how these may influence the evolutionary potential of populations and species. Using a multi-model seascape genomics approach, we compare putative environmental drivers of selection in three sympatric southern African marine invertebrates with contrasting ecology and life histories: Cape urchin (Parechinus angulosus), Common shore crab (Cyclograpsus punctatus), and Granular limpet (Scutellastra granularis).
Results
Using pooled (Pool-seq), restriction-site associated DNA sequencing (RAD-seq), and seven outlier detection methods, we characterise genomic variation between populations along a strong biogeographical gradient. Of the three species, only S. granularis showed significant isolation-by-distance, and isolation-by-environment driven by sea surface temperatures (SST). In contrast, sea surface salinity (SSS) and range in air temperature correlated more strongly with genomic variation in C. punctatus and P. angulosus. Differences were also found in genomic structuring between the three species, with outlier loci contributing to two clusters in the East and West Coasts for S. granularis and P. angulosus, but not for C. punctatus.
Conclusion
The findings illustrate distinct evolutionary potential across species, suggesting that species-specific habitat requirements and responses to environmental stresses may be better predictors of evolutionary patterns than the strong environmental gradients within the region. We also found large discrepancies between outlier detection methodologies, and thus offer a novel multi-model approach to identifying the principal environmental selection forces acting on species. Overall, this work highlights how adding a comparative approach to seascape genomics (both with multiple models and species) can elucidate the intricate evolutionary responses of ecosystems to global change
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