The City of Joburg’s controversial kerb-side parking system could be phased out in some suburbs in favour of “a new approach” that could see private vehicles being forbidden at certain times of the day.
Following the review of the paid parking system, which caused an outcry in areas such as Parkhurst, the council’s mayoral committee will meet next week to consider options – including proposals to introduce grace periods for parking in some areas.
“The consultation has been completed with affected parties,” said city spokesman Nthatisi Modingoane. “We received very interesting feedback so next week a report will be going to the mayoral committee to endorse the new approach.”
The new approach was “there could no longer be a one-size-fits-all approach”, so what may apply in Parkhurst may not necessarily be suitable for Melville.
Paid parking was initially set to be extended to Rosebank, Roodepoort, Melville, Florida, Norwood, Linden, Randburg and Fordsburg, among other areas. The scheme was introduced in Parkhurst in 2011.
Modingoane said this also meant the city would relook the process of amending the by-laws to ensure they fitted in with the “new thinking”.
The paid kerbside parking system run by Ace Parking Services was implemented in Joburg to deal with management of public spaces and congestion.
The council’s agreement with Ace gives the company 74.8 percent of the parking revenue and the council only 25.2 percent as well as fines from motorists who don’t pay. The company has been operating the system in the Joburg CBD and Braamfontein. The three-year contract with Ace Parking, which runs until June, involves 4 500 parking bays.
But the system was bungled with one member of the city’s executive saying proper procedures were not followed in the rollout, which had left it compromised in the eyes of the public.
“What is happening now is a bit of a review of the system without violating any of the contractual obligations signed,” the member told the Saturday Star last year. “The city wants to manage its public parking spaces to avoid congestion and generate revenue, but not in the way the Ace Parking system was implemented.”
Modingoane said new proposals the mayoral committee would have to endorse or reject included that some areas in the suburbs be turned into car-free zones with access to them only via public transport like the tuk-tuks.
There were a lot of options in the report that would be debated by the committee, including increased enforcement to ensure compliance.
“From the onset the city is not saying paid parking shouldn’t happen, but that we need to look at a number of options that are workable because you find that people in a particular node differ on how they see things,” he said.
“So there are proposals, for instance, to look at a grace period in some areas on certain days. What we don’t want is the hogging of public spaces.”
Tim Truluck, councillor for ward 117, which includes parts of Parkhurst, said yesterday the process of changing the by-laws could take up to two years. - Saturday Star