Tom Steer, senior associate on the Gautrain Architects Joint Venture states that "When people arrive in cities with well-organised transport networks, they breathe a sigh of relief. The identity of the transport system forms an integral part of the city's identity and the way it is perceived internationally." (Theunissen, 2009: 22) Mokena Makeka of Makeka Design Laboratory agrees saying "The role that transport facilities play in the creation of an identity for both the industry itself and the city is essential, and one that is often underplayed in this country" (Theunissen, 2009: 22). In South Africa today, the public transport industry is perceived negatively by a large portion of the population. This perception is largely rooted in the troubled history of South Africa with Apartheid playing a major role in the formulation of such perceptions. In addition, issues surrounding lack of government funding, supporting infrastructure, safety, reliability, comfort, accessibility and a general state of disrepair hinder the progress within the system. This has resulted in a system that is severely underutilized by the middle to high income population, creating overcrowding on roads through the use of private motor vehicles, and the unsustainable nature of South Africa's transport system as a whole. This study focuses on the role of identity in architecture, exploring the concept of architecture as a catalytic instrument in the creation, and identification of identity, and how this can be applied to transform the public transport industry as a whole. The intention is to identify and explain the important principles and elements that inform the success of a transport interchange, and how a building can redeem itself and create a new identity. It is clear through the study that infrastructure is required in the public transport industry. This dissertation looks at the design of a modal interchange facility which seeks to appeal to a wider socio-economic group, and in turn create a more sustainable system as a whole. One must acknowledge that for any significant change to occur, more than just architecture is required, as architecture in isolation, cannot address all the issues. Identity is formulated through a number of elements, not only built form. The approach will have to be a holistic one and a broad remodelling of the current system is required. Modal interchanges do however form the backbone to this process and act as a vital catalyst in the transformation of the industry. / Thesis (M.Arch.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2012.

Industry both consumes and creates an abundance of dangerous goods, which must be transported from producers to end-users. This creates opportunities for incidents, including traffic accidents, which could release poisonous, corrosive, flammable or carcinogenic substances into the environment. Releases of dangerous goods at a location may pose a significant threat to the health of the neighbouring population. The Durban South Basin, with its hazardous mix of heavy industrial, employment and residential areas, was chosen as the case study for research into the risks associated with the transportation of dangerous goods. High levels of traffic flow occur in this region and significant volumes of dangerous goods are transported on the roads within the basin. The objectives of this investigation were to: develop a methodology that may be applied to estimate the likelihood and consequences of releases of dangerous goods due to road accidents; and to evaluate the usefulness of this methodology by applying it to estimate the risks posed to the people residing in, working in and travelling through the Durban South Basin. The literature pertaining to risk assessment of dangerous goods transport was examined. A review was undertaken of the current state of the art and the theory and methodology used by previous researchers. As intersections provide greater opportunities for vehicles to be involved in accidents, traffic surveys were conducted at selected intersections within the Durban South Basin in order to obtain an indication of the flow of dangerous goods vehicles and the types of dangerous goods being transported through these locations. Two approaches were utilised to estimate the likelihood of dangerous goods accidents and releases at intersections: a deterministic model and an innovative method based on Monte Carlo simulation. Dispersion modelling and geographic information systems were integrated to estimate the impacts of accidental releases of dangerous goods at intersections. Queuing analysis was combined with dispersion modelling to estimate the risks posed to road users from dangerous goods releases. The investigation verified that dangerous goods transportation risk assessment could be performed even when there are substantial data uncertainties. Furthermore, in comparison to the deterministic approach typically used in transportation studies, Monte Carlo simulation facilitates a deeper understanding of the nature and distribution of dangerous goods accident risk. The results suggest that although dangerous goods accidents and releases are infrequent, the potential exists for very serious incidents involving large numbers of injuries. / Thesis (M.Sc.Eng.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2005.

No abstract available. / Thesis (M.T.R.P.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2009.

The mini-bus industry has been hailed as a major breakthrough in public transport. It fills a much needed void in the hierachy of public transport. However, despite its success story the industry is facing problems. This study attempts to examine and understand the dynamics of the mini-bus industry in South Africa, with specific reference to mini-bus operations in the study area of Overport. The aim is to examine and highlight the problems in the industry and to formulate solutions and/or policy options for recommendations through the identification of appropriate planning interventions to enable the mini-bus to make a more efficient contribution to public transport. / Thesis (M.T.R.P.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1996.

In a world of increased daily travel, more efficient means of transporting people become all the more relevant as citizens constantly try to bridge time and distance in an effort to get to work and other meeting places. The ability to transport large numbers of people at the same time, establishes the rail transport as one such mode viable for this task. As a result, cities throughout the world constantly revive existing rail networks and introduce new ones to cater for this growing traveling demand of the 21 st century. The most popular forms of transportation in the city of Durban, namely the bus, taxi and private car are the main contributors to the traffic congestion and air pollution problems in the city, hence the need to reconsider the importance of the train. Following international precedent, South Africa is planning to revive its railway services by changing its image and ensuring passenger safety in order to establish it as a major public transport system (Ministry of transport, 2006). In creating the building form of railway station buildings, it is necessary to understand passenger movement and activity within the station as well as the spaces required for such activities. This is vital if the designer has to make a meaningful contribution to society though his building intervention. Railway stations do not function in isolation to other modes of transportation in the city, hence the need for this study to consider the station in a node or interchange context to enforce its role within the city's transportation system as a whole. / Thesis (M.T.R.P.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2008.

Transportation costs of commercial forestry farms in South Africa are generally very high, causing great economic concern. The current roads of the majority of commercial farms, used to transport timber from the compartments to the market (mill), form part of a 'cob-web', high density network. In order to optimise transportation, it is beneficial to eradicate such a high density of road, achieved by adopting the most effective methods and technology. Such methods include that of Route Network Analysis (RNA) which designs a minimalist, yet cost-effective road pattern of a forestry farm. The aim of the study was to determine what data are required to optimise economic and timber transportation, based on the commercial forestry farm of Ntonjaneni, located in Zululand, KwaZulu-Natal. Route Network Analysis, which incorporates Geographical Information Systems (GIS) in addition to the current information pertaining to a network, was applied to the Ntonjaneni Farm. The existing data consisted of cadastral shapefile data containing relative attribute data, as well as Digital Elevation Models (DEMs), which were manipulated in order to create a realistic spatial representation of the farm's current transportation network. In addition, the development of project management guidelines to assist the efficient implementation and completion of the analysis was undertaken. The most ideal route from the plantations to the mill was created, avoiding the environmentally buffered rivers and those slopes which were too steep. As a result, the network was greatly improved. The irrelevant roads were removed, and replaced with a less dense route for timber transportation. The results of the RNA reveal that RNA, completed by the project management guidelines, is an effective and environmentally sound means of optimising commercial forestry transportation. However, data relating to the rivers and road slope need to be updated in order for RNA to be effectively performed during future studies. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2005.

South Africa boasts such intrinsic beauty in its social and physical geography and at the heart of this beauty lie its people. For each culture that has fought for their beliefs and systems, wars have been fought and lives have been lost. One thing which remains constant however is the belief that we the people can work together to live in peace and harmony and leave a better place to those who come after. Apartheid South Africa was divisive in many ways and its results have left many wounds on the country’s architectural geography. Social inequality is manifest in the tapestry of everyday life and the Peri-Urban scars of our past have become vivid thresholds of crosscultural debate. The Apartheid planning model of disconnection through race and class has seen a massive effort to refocus on Durban’s urban core, whereas the rich tapestry of the Peri-Urban townships is often neglected. In order to reconnect the outer city geographies back into the urban whole an investigation into the theory of connection between people and their physical environment needs to be undertaken. This dissertation looks at how the theory of connection might enable a unified Durban and rehabilitate the tenderness of past planning processes. Public Transport is one such mechanism which can connect communities, no matter the distance nor socio-economic status and it is within this context that the dissertation offers new insight into the critical and exciting reconnection process. / M. Arch. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2013.

The co-owned Umfolozi Mill area has developed as an integrated supply chain. Cane supply reliability was identified as a potential area for productivity improvement at Umfolozi. It is important that the cane supply to a sugar mill arrives at a steady and reliable rate. A reliable cane supply ensures that the mill can operate at an optimum efficiency. Sugarcane supply reliability depends on how the mill area adapts to unforeseeable changes in the supply chain. An important aspect to this is the weather and how it affects the harvesting regimes. The sugarcane supply chain at Umfolozi is divided into two branches, road transport and tram transport. The trams account for 70 % of the cane delivered to the mill and the can is sourced from a climatically homogenous region. In the occurrence of a rainfall event of above 5 mm, infield harvesting cannot take place on the Umfolozi Flats; hence 70 % of the mill‟s supply is halted for one or more days. To address the problem, a stochastic model was created to simulate the effectiveness of an enlarged cane stockpile if it were maintained on the current tram sidings outside the mill and were crushed when wet weather prevented further harvesting. The stockpile was simulated on a first-in first-out principle and was able to supply the mill with enough cane to continue running for 24 hours. The model was then used to conduct a series of Monte Carlo simulations on which sensitivity analyses and economic feasibility assessments were carried out. Results show that the stockpile was effective in reducing the length of milling season and the number of no-cane stops. However, on further analysis into the implications of creating a stockpile it was found that 1% recoverable value (RV) was lost during the 24-hours that the cane is stored outside the mill. The loss in revenue as a result of the RV reduction had a negative impact on any savings created with the implementation of the stockpile. This result made apparent the negative impact of deterioration to the whole supply chain. Further research is required to determine more accurately the rate of deterioration, and therefore, quantify more accurately the losses that occur in the supply chain. A significant outcome of the study was the development of a mechanistic tool which drove decision making at Umfolozi Sugar Mill. It lead to the development of the modelling framework LOMZI, a simulations based framework which places more emphasis on environmental factors and risks. / Thesis (M.Sc.Eng.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2011.

The South African sugar industry is of significant local and international importance and covers an area in excess of 450 000 hectares. This area yields approximately 21 million tons of sugarcane per annum which is transported almost exclusively by road, from farms to the sugar mills. The industry is under increasing economic pressures to improve its productivity and competitiveness and sugarcane transport in the sugarcane supply chain has been identified as one area where large improvements and associated cost reductions can be made. This is mainly due to the excess in number of vehicles in the inbound transport system, the high relative cost of transport compared to other production costs in producing sugarcane, and the high fixed costs associated with truck fleet operations. A simulation case study of the transport system was completed in 2005 in the Sezela Mill area in which approximately 2.2 million tons of sugarcane is transported per annum over an average distance of 29 km by approximately 120 independently managed vehicles owned by a wide range of hauliers and individual growers. This amounts to an estimated cost of R58 million per annum. This study investigated the potential savings that could occur as a result of a central fleet control system with integrated vehicle scheduling. A scheduling software package named ASICAM, which resulted in significant savings in the timber industry (Weintraub et al, 1996), was applied within the Sezela region. Results suggested that the number of trucks in the fleet could theoretically be reduced by at least 50%, providing that a central office controls vehicle movements and that all hauliers serve all growers in an equitable fashion. In addition, investigations towards decreasing loading times, decreasing offloading times, changing vehicle speeds and increasing payloads by reducing trailer tare mass showed further reductions in the number of trucks required. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2009.

The South African taxi industry is a fast-growing industry and greatly contributes to the GDP growth of the country. While it also contributes to the decrease of unemployment problem in the country, it does very little to compensate its employees, the taxi drivers. A large body of research has been done on the taxi industry regarding its growth and future development such as recapitalization, and SANTACOs initiatives at introducing a much affordable Airline. However, little research has been done concerning the financial challenges facing taxi drivers in South Africa, especially in Umbumbulu, South of Durban, KwaZulu-Natal. This is the gap this dissertation is attempting to fill in. The purpose of this dissertation is to enhance understanding of how taxi drivers fare in this fast growing informal economy, namely, the taxi industry, by investigating their financial management practices. Through the utilization of, questionnaires, indepth interviews and ethnographic approach, a model will be developed to describe, firstly, how financial management practices are carried out to facilitate the fulfillment of specific life goals of these taxi drivers and secondly, discuss how these practices translate to financial management. For the purpose of this study a questionnaire was used to investigate the financial management practices of taxi drivers in Umbumbulu. 27 owners and drivers were interviewed during their loading intervals when they were not busy. The study revealed that the Umbumbulu Taxi Rank drivers face huge financial difficulties which are due to different reasons. The challenges have been found to not only affect them but also their families. The conclusion drawn from the results was that even though taxi drivers face these problems they are able to deal with them through different strategies, such as, saving money through Stokvel and savings accounts. / Thesis (M.Com.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2012.