Cape Town & Western Cape making things happen ... finally

So it's slow and sometimes tedious, but things are starting to happen here in Cape Town (no, I will not refer to it as Slaapstad!)
With any initiative of appreciable size hampered by political infighting, the punishment meted out to the voters for giving sparring parties control of provincial and local governments, it's a big deal when something comes to fruition. Yesterday we had two such initiatives not launched, discussed by committees, thrashed out in the courts or even being appealed but actually become in to being.

The first is what is known as the B&T lane on the N2, one of the main arterials into the city. As of yesterday, the right-hand lane of the three lane highway is reserved for buses and taxi's only during the morning rush hour. While currently raising the ire of many motorists, as this has obviously added some serious travel time to those commuters not using public transport, I must commend the provincial politicians for taking the 'hard road' and implementing this idea. Here in Cape Town we constantly complain the lack of public transport. This is sure to give those providing the service extra a shot int the arm, as well as convincing more people to use the public transport providers to get to work.



The second initiative seems to have come along more quietly, and emanates from the City of Cape Town. Yesterday I received a big clear plastic bag and a pamphlet outlining the new recycling program in my letterbox. As of next week we will be able to place a full bag of recyclables with our usual rubbish and it will be taken, sorted and recycled. If successful this is going to make a huge difference to our landfill sites. Many people have been kept from recycling as it's been a hassle having to cart off your recyclables to a depot. I am personally looking forward to getting a large portion of my garage back.

Now, let's get those housing projects moving!