Pretoria - The City of Tshwane is working with the taxi industry and policing authorities to find a permanent solution for the taxi congestion in the CBD.
As part of these engagements, taxi operators are already being moved to temporary sites.
MMC for Roads and Transport Dikeledi Selowa said the initiative to eradicate congestion was a result of a good working relationship between the City and taxi industry.
“The City represented by the Tshwane Metro Police Department Roads and Transport Department, and Local Economic Development Department, responsible for both formal and informal traders’ issues, are working with Pretoria Central police on the joint initiative.
“Council is as well working on a long-term (plan) to be approved in due course. The plan involves setting aside parcels of land to serve as designated taxi holding facilities, off-street parking for off-peak hours,” she said.
Selowa said it was already evident that in the interim, taxi operations were being relocated to temporary holding sites such as the Baralak Building on Johannes Ramokhoase Street and another on Nana Sita Street. This is in anticipation of the approval of the final plan which consists of over 14 sites.
She said the relief was already self-evident in the inner-city in terms of traffic flow as well as in Marabastad.
“The streets which used to be heavily congested are now decongested through the collaboration mentioned above,” said Selowa.
The leadership of South African National Taxi Council Greater Tshwane Region and Tshwane Gauteng National Taxi Alliance are in support and part of the initiative.
“The decongestion programme is monitored daily, there are also bi-weekly meetings. The programme, dubbed Operation Inner-City Clean-up, is almost three months old.”
She said the efforts of Tshwane taxi industry leadership in terms of self-regulation to ensure that taxis were not a nuisance in the inner city, were greatly commendable.
Pretoria News