welcome to
Gershwin Transportation Consultants (GTC)
Our aim is to enable cities to develop Sustainable Urban Transport Systems.
OUR PURPOSE EXPLAINED
Importance of Urban Transportation
City growth and transport development has always been inherently linked. Prior to motorization cities were compact and walkable, but as transport developed to motorized modes cities expanded – thanks to an increase in ‘ease of travel’. While this invention was revolutionary at the time, today in most developing cities we now experience sprawled urban development, car dominated modes of transport, long walking distances, high traffic accidents, unbearable traffic congestion, high vehicular emissions, and stifled economic growth due to ineffective and integrated Spatial and Transport planning.
As we face rapid urbanisation over the next decade, a reset is required. Key strategic sustainable mechanisms to govern this reset include:
1. Integrated Transport and Spatial Planning strategies and plans,
2. Integrated Transport System that prioritises Public Transport and Non-Motorised Transport,
3. Establishing a sustainable Transport Governance Institutional arrangement that will drive the development of sustainable urban transport systems,
4. Establishing a financial and fiscal arrangement to ensure sustainable funding mechanisms to enable the sustainable urban transport systems,
5. Capacity building of government institutions to ensure government ownership and continuance into the future, and
6. Establish mechanism to automatically collect transport data which enable continuous monitoring of the transport system against the sustainable transport objectives.
These mechanisms will ensure that Cities are adequately enabled to establish Sustainable Urban Transport Systems.
OUR SERVICES
- Development of Integrated Transport Policies and strategies
- Integrated Transport Planning
- Integrated Public Transport Planning
- Public Transport Conceptual Planning
- Public Transport Operational Planning
- Non-motorised Transport planning and conceptual design
- Institutional Transport Governance
- Transport Capacity Building
OUR PROJECTS
- Decarbonisation of the Informal Transport – Paper for World Bank Group – June 2021
- COVID-19 impacts on the Informal Transport – Paper for World Bank – July 2021
- Urban Transport Technical Assistance to Tanzania Decongestion Project – World Bank Project – Current
- Develop Guideline for the transition to Low and zero Carbon Busses in Sub Saharan Africa – UATP Project – October 2021
- Urban Transport Technical Assistance to Kampala BRT Project – World bank Project – Current
- Capacity building on Institutional Arrangement and Governance for Dar es Salaam BRT (DART) and Land Transport Regulatory Authority (LATRA) – World Bank Project – Current
- Development of e-mobility strategy/ roadmap from Nairobi Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (NAMATA) – UITP/ GIZ Project – Current
ABOUT ME
After working for 22 years in Corporate and predominantly in Local Government, in June 2021, Gershwin Fortune decided to step out as an independent consultant to assist cities in developing sustainable urban transport systems. He now provides global expert advice on integrated and sustainable transport planning.
Gershwin has 23 years practical experience in integrated transport planning, predominantly at the City of Cape Town local government where he joined as a Graduate Engineer in 1999. Within this period, he also worked for Arcus Gibb Engineers as an Associate Transport Planner,and for the World Bank Group as an Urban Transport Specialist.
He started his career as a transport/traffic engineer with a focus on non-motorized transport. In 2002 he was instrumental in the design and implementation oversight of the cities largest NMT investment project at that time (2004).
Around 2006, after completing his Masters in Transportation, he developed a keen interest in sustainable integrated Transport systems. In 2006, Gershwin was part of the technical team that drafted the City of Cape Town’s first Integrated transport Plan which was premised on Sustainable Transport Objectives.
In 2007, in preparation for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, selected South African cities were gearing up their public transport systems with a specific focus on BRT. Cape Town established a Project Management Unit to deliver its BRT project. Gershwin was selected to be part of this unit and lead the system planning and modelling component. Since then, he has had the unique opportunity to be involved in all facets of the public transport life cycle.
In 2008, he was involved in the inception stages of the MyCiTi BRT project where he provided technical system planning and modelling leadership and guidance towards the successful roll-out of the MyCiTi BRT Phase 1 project.
At the end of his tenure at the city, he was the Director: Operations where he managed the day-to-day operations of the MyCiTi public transport service.
In 2018/19, he was also the Acting Transport Commission (and later Acting Executive Director) responsible for the City of Cape Town Transport Directorate.
In June 2021, he established his own Transport Planning Consultancy where he now provides global expert advice on integrated transport planning.
Gershwin is also keenly involved in youth development and training which has led to his current involvement as Board Member of the University of Cape Town Transport Centre. In addition, Gershwin was selected in November 2021 as the UITP Chairperson for the global Informal Transport Working Group
Gershwin is married to Wendy, and they have two girls Zoe and Metaya. In his spare time, he loves spending time on the golf course chasing those pars and birdies.
CONTACT US
Contact Information
- +27 79 300 5779
- gershwin@gtc-consult.co.za