Free parking in the CBD now a thing of the past
With Newcastle lacking metered parking for almost 10 years, this new system has been received with much resistance from residents.
Come July 1, free parking for motorists in Newcastle CBD will be a thing of the past.
In 2018, a Cape Town based company known as Traffic Management Services (TMS) was appointed as the official service provider, to implement this system through the Supply Chain Management Procurement Process and began preparations for Phase One to be launched.
With Newcastle lacking metered parking for almost 10 years, this new system has been received with much resistance from residents.
If the public session held on June 24 at the Newcastle Town Hall, with the service provider and the municipality is anything to go by, residents are not pleased.
During a presentation by the TMS, disgruntled residents disrupted the session on numerous occasions.
Head of Communications for the Newcastle Municipality, Dr Dumisani Thabethe, who chaired the meeting, needed to call it to order repeatedly. Their concerns were centred around their ignorance of the bidding process and questioned the operation of the entire system.
ALSO READ: Newcastle returning to metered parking after almost 10 years
The service provider:
Owner of TMS, Vernon Joshua explained how the system would operate and what processes were involved.
“In March this year, TMS began the infrastructure development, where the installation of tags (sensors) took place in the CBD.”
Employment adverts were placed in the Newcastle Advertiser for the recruitment of car marshals, zone monitors and supervisors.
“We received a total of 310 CVs and through the selection process 41 candidates were trained and approved to fill the position,” said Joshua.
Joshua went on to say that during the first phase of the system, the company anticipated creating around 70 employment opportunities within Newcastle. A question raised by one of the residents at the meeting, asked what the fate of the existing car guards in the CBD would be.
An official response received through a media inquiry from the municipality stated:
“The recognised car guards were offered opportunities to submit their credentials to join a structured team. Some indeed took advantage of this and are now parking marshals. The car guards play a different role from the parking marshals. The Parking Management System was established to create jobs and not reduce opportunities.”
An official launch of the system took place on Tuesday (June 25) at the municipality’s parking area, where 10 traffic wardens were handed their badges and accredited at the same ceremony.
The marshals were then taken to the allotted parking bays to begin on-site training.
By Wednesday (June 26), chaos had already reigned in the Nedbank parking lot, as motorists already reported traffic jams.
The municipality’s role:
“The intention of the system is also to create a safer CBD. Law enforcement will not entertain any aggressive behaviour on our streets. The service provider has control and engagement measures to deal with such situations,” read a statement from the municipality.
Other questions highlighted the revenue generated from this system and its beneficiaries.
“TMS will receive 80 per cent while the municipality would receive 20 per cent.”
The Newcastle Advertiser asked about the specific allocation of these funds acquired by the municipality.
“The main objective of this initiative is not one of revenue generation, it is to create employment opportunities and to alleviate the business concern in respect of parking within the CBD. Therefore, whatever income is generated will be ploughed back to the community in terms of improving service delivery.”
When the by-laws surrounding the parking meters were questioned, the municipality stated the 10 appointed traffic wardens had obtained the necessary qualifications and were competent to address issues and other offences.
Regarding the aspect of crime in the area, the municipality said the service provider has an intensive training programme regarding crime detection, prevention and reporting.
How will this affect motorists and business owners who occupy parking bays for the duration of a business day, and will they be charged the same tariff?
“A limited amount of parking will be allocated for monthly parkers at a reduced rate. Whereas law enforcement limits the parking time to 1 hour, motorists can pay the same applicable tariff for their overstay. The principle of parking management is to create parking turnover so that other motorists can enjoy the use of a parking space as well.”
In the first phase of the implementation of the system, 450 parking bays have been tagged in the CBD and are referred to as on-streets. This includes Allen Street, Scott Street, Voortrekker Street, Harding Street and others in the CBD.
What you need to know:
Parking tariffs:
The parking tariffs were discussed, proposed and agreed in a portfolio committee meeting, which stipulated R4 for 30 minutes and R8 for an hour.
A proposal for off-street parking is R3 for 30 minutes and R6 for an hour.
TMS stated long-term or monthly parkers would pay R550 per month, for a designated off-street parking space.
How to identify the parking marshals:
Marshals and zone monitors will be uniformed accordingly and assigned a name tag. The uniforms also display the company and municipality logos.
Signboards have already been erected, clearly displaying the parking tariffs and times for compliance.
The daily operational procedure:
A motorist wishing to use the parking bay would need to seek a marshal, and specify the time duration of use. The marshal, using an electronic device (QuickPark) may ideally collect the fee first and issue a ticket, which needs to be displayed on the inside of the vehicle.
The information is then recorded via the device and sent wirelessly to the backend control office.
Representatives of the service provider have also secured an office at the Nedbank Building, where inquires and issues can be reported.
For more information about the QuickPark Service, visit the website: www.quickpark.co.za
ALSO READ: Free parking days are over
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Email: Reveshni Douglas (Editor) at reveshni@caxton.co.za
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