Introduction

Freight Transport Policy formulation is a process which is involves decisions based on factual information about all relevant aspects of the specific issues under consideration.  

Every Freight Transport Policy study that have been done in South Africa since the 1980’s, has commented on the difficulties in Policy formulation, arising out of the inadequacy of available information. The Freight Transport Databank concept is intended to address this problem and to provide policy makers with the widest possible information coverage, consonant with current information availability, budget constraints, and the extent of practical applicability. 

The Eastern Cape Freight Transport Databank has been commissioned in 2008, by the Eastern Cape Department of Roads & Transport and funded by the National Department of Transport, as part of the overall strategy to develop Freight Databanks for each Province and integrate into a National Freight Databank 

The freight transport databank is intended to provide a basis for factual information collection, collation, storage and retrieval by the authorities, (and other interested parties).  For the purpose of policy formulation and management of the freight transport activities, in all modes, within the province.  The information in the databank, will provide the necessary information to enable the province to respond to the requirements of the National Land Transport Transition Act (NLTTA) and to plan for the future optimisation of freight and passenger transport, as integrated land transport systems.   

The Eastern Cape freight transport databank represents one element of the developed national freight transport Databank, to achieve a national source of freight transport information in all modes, for policy formation and strategic planning purposes. The formats of the information in the Eastern Cape freight transport databank, are compatible with the developing national system and will be compatible with the information from other provinces.  

The freight transport Databank has been compiled as a basic tool for informed freight transport planning and management by the provincial authorities, representing the current situation in the province.  It is presumed, (and recommended) that a specific directorate will take ownership of the freight transport Databank and make arrangements to expand, update, and use the information in the interest of optimising the effectiveness of the provincial freight transport systems, for the benefit of the economy and people of the province.