Although the taxi holding bay was completed during the course of last week, taxi drivers still insist on parking their vehicles along the busy Sutherland Street.
This has left business owners and residents from Paradise fuming.
“They walk in the road with buckets, sometimes even pushing trolleys with buckets from taxi to taxi to wash,” said a resident who wished to remain anonymous.
Living in Paradise, the resident aired her grievances about taxis using Sutherland Street.
She said taxis affected traffic flow, as taxi drivers often stopped their vehicles in the middle of the road.
“There is often no parking for our customers, because even though the holding bay is open for them, taxis still park in the parking bays. They just don’t bother, even if you hoot they don’t do anything. They also don’t indicate when pulling into a parking area, and when they pull away they just drive without looking if there is oncoming traffic.”
Another resident said taxi drivers were verbally aggressive when confronted.
“A person can’t talk to them. If you do or even hoot at them, they get verbally abusive and they will try to surround you,” she said.
Taxi drivers were also accused of double parking, which affected traffic flow.
A businessman in Sutherland Street said he believed taxis also contributed to unsafe road conditions.
“The taxi drivers are a major hazard, as a friend of mine was involved in a collision on Sutherland Street, because a taxi driver decided to do a U-turn.”
He also accused taxi drivers of contributing to traffic congestion and littering in the area.
“There seldom are traffic officers in the area. The only time there is any form of policing, is if there is taxi violence,” alleged the irate businessman.
The municipality was asked how the problems regarding the taxis would be addressed, but no comment was forthcoming at the time of publication.
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