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Mobility, transport, roads

This page is permanently under construction. It is a resource library only, so comments and explanations are sparse. Most of the links and files provided here are available from other websites; they are mirrored here only as a service. Please read the originals.

Eastern Link Road (ELR)

Eastern Link Road 2024: Extension of Wildebosch Road

September 2024: Basic Assessment Report for the road extension between Wildebosch and Trumali Roads (essentially the first part of the Eastern Link Road).
Deadlines for comment as per Zutari Notice:
- Monday 28 October for the Draft Basic Assessment Report. Send comments to ppp@zutari.com giving reference DEADP 16/3/3/6/7/1/B4/45/1342/23
- Wednesday 27 November for the Water Use Licence Application being submitted by Zutari to the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS); see Page 58 of the above Draft Basic Assessment Report. Send comments to ppp@zutari.com giving reference DWS WU34262
Water and Wetland: The proposed road would traverse (and thereby strongly impact on) the "Valley Bottom Wetland" as set out in the Freshwater Assessment Report The same Freshwater Assessment Report also shows the Zones of Regulation which trigger the Water Use Licence process.
Critical Biodiversity Area See the Cape Nature Critical Biodiversity Map.
Botany: The Botanical Assessment Report identifies a population of Red Data species Wachendorfia brachyandria as being in the way of the roadbuilding.
See also Red Data List, Vegetation Map Environmental Management Programme
The Traffic Impact Assessment shows that the intention is to include the upper part Brandwacht into the new MSDF Urban Edge. It also makes clear that the present extension is irrational. To quote the TIA itself:
From Figure 3.2 [showing the full Eastern Link Road to Coetzenburg] it is clear that the completed link road will have a significant impact on the traffic operations especially along the R44. The incremental implementation of the link road will however not result in such noticeable improvements. The implementation of the section between Trumali Street and Paradyskloof Road will result in some motorists in Paradyskloof travelling along the new link road section and joining the R44 at the intersection with Trumali Road. The portion of the extension of Wildebosch Street was previously planned as part of the extension of what was called the Eastern Bypass. The Stellenbosch Council has decided against the implementation of the Eastern Bypass and will only implement the certain sections of the link road as shown in Figure 3.2 above.
Here is the Zipfile of all appendices (70 MB) as obtained from Zutari, the Environmental Assessment practitioner.
A full listing of annexures and documents appears below.

Eastern Link Road 2022 issues and documents

First read the comments on the "new" 2022 Roads Master Plan.
The Stellenbosch Municipality strategy since at least 2017 has been to build the ELR segment by segment as already set out in Figure 1 on Page 8 of a FSM Letter to the Mayor and MM of October 2018 and in Section 3.3.3 of the October 2022 FSM Objection.
The purpose of the 2022 "update" to the old RMP appears to be to give the Eastern Link Road highest priority: the road project priorities in the 2022 RMP have been updated from the 2019 version. Suddenly, the segment of the Eastern Link Road between Paradyskloof and Brandwacht has been made a High Priority, conveniently in tandem with the current Brandwacht application for rezoning of Farm 1049 remainder which wants exactly that segment to be built. As pointed out in Section 3.3.2 of the October 2022 FSM Objection to that Brandwacht application, every housing development provides a development contribution which is used to finance roadbuilding.
As shown in the Roads Master Plan roads project map and road project priorities, the following segments together make up the Eastern Link Road:
- SRMP052 from R44 to Wildebosch Road south (Paradyskloof); 2018 cost estimate R9.1m, length 0.95km. It is likely that the land owner Blaauwklippen Agricultural Estates (BAE) of the relevant Erf 1457/0 of 33 hectares will soon apply for rezoning also and that this will be used to motivate construction of this ELR segment.
- SRMP053A from Wildebosch Road north across Brandwacht, along Dalsig splitting Welgevallen Proefplaas in half; 2018 cost estimate R24.0m, length 2.5km: the segment which the 2022 RMP now prioritises
- SRMP053B connecting Suidwal/Pastorie bridge to the Eastern Link Road; 2018 cost estimate unclear, length unclear
- SRMP055 extends van Rheede Road eastwards to meet with the Eastern Link Road and then turns towards the Eersterivier; 2018 cost estimate R5.8m, length 0.6km
- SRMP058 is a road bridge across the Eersteriver at Pastorie Road (Theology Faculty); 2018 cost estimate R29.9m, length 0.2km
- SRMP056 would construct a new road between the Doornbosch Street and Piet Retief Street to also connect to Suidwal; Street, between the Markotter sportsfields and Bloemhof school; 2018 cost estimate R2.5m, length 0.4km
Route maps: see eg the partial Eastern Link Road map by ICE or the TV3 map.
According to the outdated traffic modelling of the Eastern Link Road it would carry about 500 vehicles during the morning peak hour, and presumably another 500 in the afternoon, between the R44 through Paradyskloof and Brandwacht to van Rheede.
The same outdated traffic modelling predicts that by 2040 more than 1300 vehicles in the morning and another 1300 vehicles in the afternoon using the new SRMP055 road segment between van Rheede and Pastorie Roads. That traffic will pour onto Suidwal, Die Laan, Noordwal and all adjacent roads.
As explained, the traffic modelling of the Eastern Link Road is outdated but will still be used for decisionmaking.
The 2022 RMP has been revised to push the construction of the Eastern Link Road. This Page iv from the 2022 RMP should be compared to the compared to 2019 equivalent
The 2022 Conclusions and Recommendations were also updated from the 2019 version to make a stronger case for the Eastern Link Road.
See also the Assessment of the Eastern Link Road, Section 6.5 in 2022 RMP
The SRMP052 from R44 to Wildebosch Road south (Paradyskloof) segment is also shown in the 2020 NMT route plan as if that road and the link road to Jamestown were already built.

Eastern Link Road in the past

Annexures to the DBAR of September 2024 (Wildebosch to Trumali)

Draft Basic Assessment Report EIA BAR Notice
Freshwater Assessment Report Watercourse Map (preferred) Watercourse Map (alternative)
Botanical Assessment Red Data List Vegetation Map Critical Biodiversity Map Cape Nature Environmental Management Programme
Traffic Impact Assessment
Visual Impact Assessment
Site Development Plan (preferred) Site Development Plan (alternative)
Site Sensitivity Verification Sensitivity Maps
Locality Map (preferred) Locality Map (alternatie)
Plans and Profies of various segments: Segment Segment Segment Segment Segment Segment Segment Segment Segment
SDP major contour lines SDP Major contour lines (1) SDP contour lines (1) SDP contour lines
Photo 1 Photo 2 Photo 3 Photo 4 Photo 5
Heritage Western Cape notice
Stakeholder Notification Letter Public Advert Site Notice
Erf 16527 Deeds Office Report Brandwacht F1049 Deeds Office Report Farm 369 Deeds Office Report
Socioeconomic Report
Risk Assessment Methodology
Need and Desirability

CITP

The last full update was the 2016 CITP. It was not ideal but at least made a decent effort towards complying with the 2016 Minimum Requirements
On 28 April 2021, Council approved a 2021 Comprehensive Integrated Transport Plan "Update". It was supposed to be an incremental update of the approved 2016 CITP but was nothing of the sort. Instead of doing what the transport legislation intends the CITP to do, it was used to insert the 2018/19 Roads Master Plan as a trojan horse.
FSM raised the serious deficiencies of the CITP at the Mobility Forum meeting of 31 May 2021. This was followed up with the FSM Comments on 2021 CITP, Roads Master Plan and NMT (14 Jun 2021) showed how this "Update" was a sham, that it contained "mistakes" in its budgeting amounting to hundreds of millions of Rands, and that between 90 and 99 percent of the 20-year cost planning was being allocated to road- and car-related projects.
The Comments by the Stellenbosch Ratepayers' Association with its Appendix A and Appendix B provide further crucial input.
Instead of withdrawing the illegal RMP and the deficient 2021 "CITP", the municipality closed down the Mobility Forum meetings; as of October 2022 they have still not been restarted. There was no response regarding the detailed FSM comment and criticism of June 2021. In Section 2 of a follow-up letter in January 2022, FSM again asked in for answers. A one-page reply from the Municipal Manager dated 21 June 2022 (which was received only on 18 July) did not address the CITP issues raised in the FSM Comments at all. A short first reply by FSM has again gone unanswered.
Only when FSM followed up in September 2022 and again asked for answers was a cursory reply received. AA
A new CITP is now being compiled; the new consultant is AECOM; there was an Open Day in May 2022. There is no sign so far that the new CITP will override the Roads Master Plan with all its shenanigans and give more than lip service to 2016 Minimum Requirements. More likely, the devious strategy of 2021 will be continued into 2022 and 2023: make a token show of following the legal requirements but in reality ensure that the predetermined roadbuilding strategy is injected into the CITP and thereby legitimised.

Roads Master Plans

The Roads Master Plan has no status in law. This Eikestadnuus article of October 2019 still sums it up: The Roads Master Plan is supposed to be drawn up according to priorities and plans determined by the CITP. Those priorities are prescribed by legislation, and roadbuilding has lower priority in that legislation than many other measures, including public transport, increasing the occupancy (passengers per car) etc. However, Stellenbosch Municipality wants a large road building programme, and so it has to "cheat the system".
Precisely because the RMP has no status, Stellenbosch Municipality is seeking to legitimise it, because, once it is legitimised, it can be included in the new 2023 CITP which is currently being drawn up. At the same time, the new 2023 MSDF will also be "updated" to ensure that the predetermined goals of roadbuilding are accommodated. Once that is accomplished, many roads can be built and many luxury housing developments can be passed, based on a veneer of legitimacy provided by the 2023 CITP and MSDF.
The first step in this strategy has already happened. On 19 October 2022, the old 2018/19 RMP was presented to Mayco "to be noted by Council". Just one week later, on 26 October, a new 2022 RMP was presented to Council "to be approved".

So what's the difference between the old and the "new" RMP, and why was this manoevre undertaken? Very likely this is all about the Eastern Link Road. Let's compare:
- 2019 Draft Roads Master Plan in full as approved for public comment in April 2021. The four comments submitted by FSM, SRA, SIG and university appear below.
- 2022 Roads Master Plan in full, as approved on 26 October 2022 by Council.
- The 2022 map summary of roads projects is key. It seems to be identical to the 2019 version. Use this map to identify the individual project numbers to look up in the cost estimates and priorities below.
- The 2018 cost estimates of individual roads projects were not updated at all in the 2022 cost estimates. This means that inflation was simply ignored and Council was presented in October 2022 with cost estimates which are at least 25 percent too low.
- The 2022 "new" RMP did not bother to update the old 2018 traffic modelling at all. For example, the numbers in the traffic modelling of the Eastern Link Road, Section 7.3.2 in 2022 RMP, are identical with the 2018 modelling numbers in the 2019 draft RMP. The 2022 RMP is therefore completely outdated and out of sync with the ATC. All its modelling results are useless. Council has approved a document without understanding that the 2022 RMP is even further removed from reality than the 2019 draft RMP.

The Adam Tas Corridor (ATC) project will fundamentally alter traffic patterns and mobility in general. The 2022 RMP did not even attempt to update information now available on the ATC and incorporate the impact of the approved ATC.

June 2021 comments by FSM on the Draft RMP
June 2021 comments by Ratepayers' Association on the Draft RMP
June 2021 comments by Interest Group on the Draft RMP
June 2021 comments by University on the Draft RMP

For some background, see the FSM 2019 writeup on Roads Master Plan and the FSM Letter to MM and Mayor in October 2018 as well as the September 2018 RMP presentation by Stellenbosch Municipality at the Mobility Forum, showing the two possible connections to the Stellenbosch road network; one at the old "Landbousaal" opposite the Faculty of Theology (Pastorie Street), the other at Danie Craven stadium. Further see a Detailed development contribution map drawn up by ICE Group, accepted by Council on 31 May 2017. No explanation of these maps is provided in the council agenda.

Adam Tas Corridor

Council Agenda Item October 2022
Local Spatial Development Framework September 2021
Development Guidelines September 2021
FSM Comments June 2022, commends ATC initiative, suggests "magic bullet" to alleviate road congestion, points out errors in relation to Papegaaiberg Protected Area
DTPW comments October 2022, largely road- and car-focused, firmly stuck in the 20th century mindset, demands to be consulted on every aspect.
TV3 First set of comments and questions June 2022, questions on impact assessments (Traffic, Heritage), PRASA, bulk infrastructure services
TV3 Second set of comments and questions July 2022, questions on roads, congestion, repetition of earlier questions
More to be done

NMT Plans

The Draft NMT Master Plan of December 2020 concerns itself chiefly with cycle and walking routes in Stellenbosch town centre. The budget is miniscule compared to the roadbuilding costs.
The same December 2020 Draft NMT Master plan was tabled again in Council on 26 October 2022 with no changes. Comments by Stellenbosch Cycling, Stellenbosch Interest Group, FSM (see Section 6), Stellenbosch Ratepayers' Association including Appendix A and Appendix B, and Stellenbosch University had no effect, and the budget remains miniscule compared to the roadbuilding planning budget.
To be continued