A co-founder of the Cape Town Cycle Tour is petitioning to transform the old George-to-Knysna railway route into a cycling trail.
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John Stegmann, a Plettenberg Bay resident, launched a petition on Change.org and submitted a formal proposal to the Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) on 22 March 2024.
‘TFR had not disclosed details of any legitimate proposal/s received nor had it formally ruled,’ he wrote in his petition.
‘As the door was not shut and, in the interests of the region and the country, I believed that TFR ought to consider allowing the corridor to be converted for use by the public for non-motorised mobility.’
In his proposal, Stegmann noted that the Outenique Choo-Tjoe needed to be subsidised by R10 million the year before it closed. However, he is offering a compromise of a steam park around Rondevlei near Sedgefield.
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He also argues that a cycle trail would make Transnet a ‘quick profit’ by selling the tracks. These funds could then be used to build the trail. He also believes that the trail would be manageable for average cyclists.
‘If the rail corridor between George and Knysna is preserved for its value to the region and the country as a safe route for non-motorised mobility, cyclists of every description (local and international) will be drawn to it,’ Stegmann told Sunday Times.
‘Micro-to-macro businesses will be created; it can be extended to Plettenberg Bay and eventually to Gqeberha and become one of South Africa’s major tourist attractions, being used by 200 000 or more cyclists each year.’
During the mid-1970s, Stegmann helped arrange the Big Ride-In to convince the City of Cape Town’s council that cyclists lacked safe facilities. In 1978, the Cape Town Cycle Tour kicked off with more than 500 cyclists, growing exponentially each year to nearly 30 000 in recent times.
The Western Cape’s chief director of sport and recreation, Lyndon Bouah, highlights that the cycle tour attracts families and generates approximately R500 million annually.
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Furthermore, Stegmann believes the tour could generate much more capital than the steam train that only travelled along the Southern Peninsula train line from Cape Town to Fish Hoek.
He is also not in favour of using the Outeniqua Choo-Tjoe to remove refuse. ‘Investing capital in reopening the rail for the steam train to cart refuse will be a regrettable commitment because the future demands that refuse be treated at source to reduce waste and reclaim as much as possible in the circular economy, with the target of zero waste.
‘Investment in waste treatment will create much-needed jobs that will upskill the workforce and the community in identifying and processing waste.’
Since 1996, Stegmann has advocated for a George-to-Gqeberha trail, detailed in his self-published book, The Green Machine.
According to TFR, the tender process should be complete by the end of June. ‘The open market procurement process for the George-Knysna branch line is at an advanced stage. To this end, the process has undergone a number of governance approvals. It is now at the bid negotiation stage.’
‘It is imperative to note that governance rules do not allow us to communicate with anyone about pending or open procurement events. TFR can communicate with the parties only after the process has been concluded.’
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Picture: Jacek Dylag / Unsplash