In trying to create more parking space in Mthatha’s congested CBD, property and business owners will now be forced to establish their own on-site parking facilities for their staff and clients as well as loading and offloading zones for goods.
This is according to a notice issued by King Sabata Dalindyebo local municipality bosses earlier this week.
Signed by municipal manager Ngamela Pakade, the notice stated that all property and business owners were required to provide adequate customer and staff on-site parking bays and on-site goods and merchandise loading and offloading bays inside their properties for compliance with municipal bylaws and policies.
“Properties that cannot provide adequate on-site parking bays and loading/offloading bays in their respective properties are hereby given two years (24 months) to find alternative parking and loading and offloading bays,” the notice stated.
“Property and business owners that are not compliant with the municipal parking and loading requirements are hereby notified to submit parking provision plans, measures and strategies to be compliant with municipal bylaws and policies within a time frame of two years.”
Businesses and property owners, however, could object to the notice and objections should be lodged in writing to the municipality no later than 21 days after publication of the notice.
Municipal spokesperson Sonwabo Mampoza said on Wednesday the move was crucial in improving Mthatha’s city management, especially in the CBD, “due to outcries about traffic congestion”.
He said this would also help ensure that all loading zones and bays would be cleared to accommodate parking bays for the new prepaid parking system.
“Chapter 8(9) of the KSD Land Use Management Scheme 2022 states that the loading or offloading of goods and parking shall take place within the boundaries of the property to the satisfaction of the municipality, unless the municipality considers there are adequate facilities available in the street.
“Loading bays will be demarcated per street frontage and will be shared by businesses that do not have loading and offloading space within the boundaries of their properties.”
According to a newly adopted draft parking policy document, a number of key transport trends had emerged in KSD over the years and had an influence on the development of the draft policy.
They included the growth in ownership and use of private vehicles and motorcycles, increase in peak traffic congestion and all-day traffic volumes, increase in road freight movement and delivery activities and change in the nature and activity of commercial centres.
“As a result, the availability and management of road space and parking, in particular, has become an increasingly complex and controversial issue for residents, commuters, visitors and businesses,” it stated.
This had led to street congestion by freight vehicles, loading bays were also frequently used by short-stay motorists to avoid parking tariffs and some roads had become informal areas for freight vehicles staying overnight.
There was also a new trend of big trucks offloading in the CBD, which contributed to traffic congestion while long-distance buses had created illegal stops for collection and drop-off of passengers along the streets.
Mthatha businessman and Eastern Cape Chamber of Business president Vuyisile Ntlabati said the move was long overdue.
He said it should have been standard procedure that all commercial properties had their loading and offloading zones within their premises before being issued with a trading licence.
“We have been crying about this for years as it contributes to serious congestion in town,” he said.
But he said many of the properties were being leased out to businesspeople.
“About 90% of commercial property landlords are abroad and it is up to them to ensure there is compliance with the municipality.”
He said the municipality should consider moving hardware stores out of the CBD as they posed a danger to pedestrians because “they display some of their products on street pavements”.
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