Illegal taxi hotspots identified in Fourways
FOURWAYS – The conclusion that came from the ward and Region A management was for more communication from shopping centres and the municipality in bettering transport accessibility.
Councillor of Ward 94, David Foley along with Region A, aim to decrease illegal taxi ranks in the Fourways community.
MMC of Economic Development, Lawrence Khoza and regional director of Region A, Abigail Ndlovu met with Foley on 14 May to visit some of the spots where illegal ranks have popped up. Three locations were highlighted by Foley. This includes the corner of William Nicol Drive and Uranium Street, the corner of Bushwillow Avenue and Uranium Street, and Sunrise Boulevard along William Nicol Drive.
Foley said there is a problem with the illegal ranks growing in various parts of Fourways as informal and litter is a problem. “This is mushrooming. What started with a hairdresser and two taxis is now an area of about 50 taxis and unlicensed trading. Why it is also against the law is because it is on a provincial road as well,” he said.
Ndlovu, who had also given the suggestion of a simple stop along the street, said that people who use the taxis need to also be taken into account. “As much as we need to remove the people from this area, we need to take into account a concept of humanity. The taxis here are bringing people to work every day.
“What we can do is talk to the shopping centre across the road and ask them if they can provide a holding area. In order for tensions to be eased, we need to get malls to be more accommodating to public transport.”
Foley said another area of focus is on Bushwillow Avenue and Uranium Street as taxis are starting to park on the side of the road, and that the problem needs to be addressed before it becomes a bigger problem.
Along Roos Street, the ward councillor highlighted one success in curbing taxis stopping on the road which involved having a shopping mall provide a space for a number of taxis to park there. “Right now, there are a lot of taxis that should not be parking on yellow lines or the traffic islands [along Sunrise Boulevard and William Nicol Drive]. We need to try and get order here as there is space on the rooftop of Fourways Mall, so they can park there.”
Meetings and discussions are set to be held with the City in order to find ways to curb the growth of taxi ranks along the roads to also avoid taxi association clashes.
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