Traffic

I have often read that Johannesburg has some of the worst traffic in the world (only behind Beijing and Mexico City…. And remember that month long traffic jam that Beijing had! Weird when you think that China has a petrol shortage. But I digress).  Joburg is the economic hub of Africa and more people have come to work here than the city was designed for. Apartheid spatial planning had made sure that the black population lived outside the economic centers, which was the city centre at that point.  Many banks and mining houses still have their headquarters in the city; however, Sandton has become the outlying business district and preferred location for many financial houses and other corporate. 

If I were to summarise the city: Sandton is the financial centre and the place where everyone wants to be; the city centre the old power house of trade and industry with a few remaining corporates holding fort; Midrand the upcoming business district due the lower property prices and large tracts of unused land; and the outlying areas containing the industrial centers.  Property prices peak around Sandton and are much lower the further out you go.  It is the masses of the poor who get jobs in Sandton but can’t afford to live nearby that must bear the brunt of incredibly shit traffic. If you are poor and live in Joburg you will spend a large portion of your income commuting. I know a secretary who lives in Lenasia and spends 4 hours a day in traffic commuting to Illovo (2 to work and 2 back home).  Public transport is limited to buses and taxis and these forms of transport still use the roads and do little to alleviate the chaos.  I have been told that the Gautrain has reduced traffic between Joburg, Pretoria and Midrand, which is great. I often use the Gautrain to the airport and it is very clean and efficient. It is not for the poor, though. Tickets are expensive, though said to be much cheaper due to the rising costs of fuel.

To live in Johannesburg, I must advise that you live close to the place where you work or risk getting stuck in a soul sucking black hole of despair that is the Joburg peak traffic. The best paying jobs are usually in Sandton, so people put up with the commuting. Fourways is a new, young and hip area that has grown due to its proximity to Sandton and cheaper property prices. However, William Nicol Drive, which is the main road artery to Fourways, is a black hole of death when it comes to peak hour traffic.  People deal with it to have bigger houses and yards as the property there is quite new and nice.  Midrand is the same deal, with similarly crap trap traffic on the highways. As with Sunnighill, Paulshof, Bryanston, Roodepoort, Alberton, Lenasia, Soweto, and many others.  Loads of people work in Joburg and live in Pretoria and do the 110km return trip every day.  They prefer the Pretoria family vibe, cheaper properties and home Bulls games.   

My priorities are different though. I work long hours and often travel home late at night. The last thing I want to do is spend time driving a long distance in a tired, semi-comatose state. I choose to live as close to work as possible and luckily for me I work in an awesome area. Illovo is a fantastic place to live.  It is close to so many cool hangouts, malls, the highway, parks, Wanderers stadium; yet has a chilled and hip vibe. I spend 10 minutes getting to work in the mornings and less than 5 minutes getting back home in the evenings.  Rent is really harsh, but what I extra I spend on rent I save on petrol (and harm the environment a little bit less). Having that extra time in my day and less stress makes a huge difference in my life. I am grateful to be able to afford living so close to my place of work and that it is so awesome. I hope that others will some day share this experience.