Four years after the planting of 196 new trees along Empire Road, seasonal growth is bringing the greenery back to Rea Vaya’s Parktown route.
Rea Vaya’s Parktown Station on Empire RoadRea Vaya’s Parktown Station on Empire Road, just before the T3 route cuts south into Braamfontein on its way to the city centre.A number of Parktown residents were distraught when the City took the decision to cut down trees in the suburb in 2010.
The trees were felled to allow for road widening to accommodate the new dedicated bus rapid transit (BRT) lane being built for Rea Vaya’s T3 trunk route between Soweto and the Joburg city centre.
The affected stretch was along Empire Road, from the intersection with Jan Smuts Avenue to the intersection with Victoria Avenue/Joubert Street, and up Joubert Street until the intersection with Sam Hancock Street.
RED, WHITE AND BLUE – AND NOW GREEN
Fast forward almost five years, and this busy thoroughfare between Hillbrow, Braamfontein and Parktown is regularly traversed by the red, white and blue of Rea Vaya’s buses – and alive with greenery once more, following the replanting of 196 trees over the 1.3-kilometre section.
The Johannesburg Development Agency (JDA) partnered with Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo and Rea Vaya on the replanting, which included a number of trees that were planted along Empire Road but inside the boundaries of Parktown Boys’ High School and Rand Girls’ School.
Travelling west down Empire RoadTravelling west down Empire Road just before it passes between Parktown Boys’ High School and Rand Girls’ School.Two species of indigenous tree, the Bushwillow (Combretum erythrophyllum) and Paperbark acacia (Acacia sieberiana, subspecies woodii), were planted. Both are popular shade trees, being fast-growing and both drought- and frost-resistant.
The planting started in September 2011, and season by season as the new trees grow they are softening and greening the local environment.
TREES ‘FUNDAMENTAL TO THE AMBIENCE OF ANY RESIDENTIAL AREA’
Partown resident Carl Williams said he had been disappointed to see the old trees cut down in 2010. “It took several years for the trees to grow to the state they were.
“I think what we can learn from the BRT developments is that trees are critical to combat environmental degradation,” Williams said. “They are fundamental to the ambience of any residential area and, in essence, define its very nature.”
Williams said the new trees taking form along Rea Vaya’s Parktown route “are beginning to make the area more sightly. I am glad the parties involved made an effort to replant the trees. Hopefully these trees will surpass the beauty of the preceding trees.”
Besides their aesthetic effect, trees in urban settings have a number of benefits, moderating the harsh microclimatic conditions created by large paved or tarred areas while providing shade, cutting out glare and reducing heat build-up.
Trees also remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere while replenishing oxygen, thus improving air quality and alleviating climate change; provide a habitat for numerous other organisms; and help to conserve water and preserve the soil.