Three weeks after traffic in uMhlanga was brought to a halt by disgruntled taxi associations over parking, eThekwini Municipality is hard at work finding a solution.
On Friday, the City said a site visit was conducted at the proposed temporary facility at the Oceans Development to accommodate the taxi associations from the Greater North Region.
The site visit, they said, was facilitated by the eThekwini Transport Authority (ETA) along with members from the South African National Taxi Council (SANTACO), the Oceans Mall Developer and their respective consultants.
“The visit was to ascertain if the proposed site was appropriate to accommodate 120 holding bays and 90 ranking bays to cater for the taxi operations within the uMhlanga precinct,” said City spokesperson Gugu Sisilana.
“The initial plan for the taxi facility proposed by the developer was to house about 90 holding bays which included 9 bays for ranking.
“This proposal however was not supported by Santaco on the basis that there was inadequate holding and ranking bays to accommodate their current taxi operations.”
She said following Friday’s visit further steps would be taken which includes conducting a survey to determine the number of required parking bays for holding and ranking.
Santaco spokesperson Sifiso Mthethwa welcomed the efforts of the City to find a lasting solution.
“The site visit with the developer and the Municipality allowed the parties to have a practical understanding of our current situation and how best we can work together to find a lasting solution. The meeting next week will help to unpack the survey and data collection process further,” said Mthethwa.
CEO of the Oceans Umhlanga Development Brian Mpono welcomed the efforts of eThekwini Transport Authority for leading the way to finding a practical solution by facilitating the site visit to witness the current temporary taxi rank.
“The current temporary taxi rank, which was open for use in mid-September 2023, was witnessed by all parties present that its now being extended to include a total of 91 bays,” said Mpono.
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