PARKING issues in
Observatory have boiled up with two large corporate citizens fingered
by angry residents for contributing to clogged-up streets.
Both Woolworths
Financial Services in the Old Lion Match Factory in Lower Main Road
and Black River Park next to Liesbeek Parkway draw thousands of
employees into Obs daily resulting in clogged up roads and a lack of
parking for residents.
The Black River
Park issue boiled over recently when residents from Lower Collingwood
Road next to the office complex received letters from the City
proposing two-hour parking restrictions for the area.
The proposal for
a two-hour restriction ostensibly stems from long-standing complaints
from the residents that workers at Black River Park clog up the
parking space in their streets because the high charges for parking
inside the office complex. The idea is that a two-hour restriction
would deter the office workers from parking in the residential
streets.
But the proposal
has residents worried that they themselves would no longer be able to
park in front of their homes.
The concerned
residents convened a meeting to discuss the issue. According to a
petition circulated after the meeting, they called on the City to
extend the two-hour restriction to Fir, Ivy, Ash and Oak Street (and
not only apply it in Lower Collingwood Road), but to exempt residents
from the time limit.
An alternative
proposed in the petition is to enforce paid parking in the streets,
but with exemption for residents.
Local ward
councillor Brett Herron, who also happens to be in charge of roads in
Cape Town, was invited to the meeting, but didn’t attend. He asked
the residents to be kept informed.
Johan Beaurain
a resident in Collingwood Road, said the petition is being
circulated. “Once that process is completed, we will hand the
letter over to Councillor Brett Herron.”
Meanwhile,
unhappiness over congested parking in the streets around Woolworths
continues, despite various meetings between residents and the
company, whose employees, according to an insider, bring in an
estimated 200 cars into Observatory each day.
The problem is
set to worsen when a vacant plot in Howe street, currently used for
parking by many Woolworths employees, is developed into a new
business park.
“People
don't realise that, OK, we probably have the most employees, but
there are other businesses nearby and that park here as well,”said
Sedick Samodien Woolworths technical facilities manager.
Woolworths is
working on a plan to introduce a shuttle service for their employees,
which will operate from two train stations and Norton Street bus
stop, Salt River and Observatory. The idea is to convince staff to
take public transport.
They currently do
have a shuttle service operating which drops employees at their
homes, but that shuttle service is only for those who work the late
shift. The new proposed shuttle will operate in the morning from 7am
to 5pm, making about 12 trips per day between Woolworths and the
Observatory and Salt River train stations.
So
far, none of Woolworths’ plans seem to be improving relations with
the locals.Terence Rix, a close-by resident, said: “The exact same
problems still transpire. The intersection of Howe and St Michaels
Street still is illegally parked in and is exceptionally dangerous.
“I
understand that Howe Street can be used by the public for parking.
However, it's impossible to ever come home during the day and
actually park on our street. It's essentially become a one way street
and often there are moments of hooter frustration between the various
road users. We still have loud music blaring out of cars early in the
morning as they either drive past or are parking outside”.
