DEAR Editor,-
In last week’s Herald, there was a HCM municipal notice published (No. 235 of 2013) ‘Invitation to a public meeting on the new parking management system for the HCM’. The Hibberdene meeting was scheduled for October 2, at 5pm.
For a meeting to discuss such an important issue, I thought the town hall would be packed out. However, to my surprise, the total number of attendees, excluding the presenter and HCM representatives, and including myself, was one!
I can only assume that no one else saw the notice, as I refuse to believe that I am the only resident unhappy with the prospect of parking meters installed at every demarcated parking bay in Hibberdene (this is indeed what is planned).
Despite my objections that the ‘meeting’ could not possibly be official, as I most assuredly do not represent the whole of Hibberdene, an attendance register was nevertheless completed and minutes taken. I understand the Uvongo and Port Shepstone meetings were also poorly attended.
I proceeded to state my personal reservations, including the fact that no ‘needs analysis’ was conducted for Hibberdene’s parking situation, to which the response was that ‘it was decided’ that the system would be implemented for the whole HCM area, without exception, out of ‘fairness’ to the other towns.
This effectively means that although Hibberdene has no parking problem for most of the time, we will be paying for parking because the other CBDs do?
My impression is that the decision has already been taken and these ‘public participation meetings’ are held to merely inform residents of details of the system, and to comply with legal requirements. I have spoken to our local council representative, Sarel Naudé, and he will be taking up the issue with the relevant individuals.
PARKING ‘ATTENDANT’
Hibberdene
