Taxi crush angers shopkeepers
Korsten congestion leaves no space for customers to park, say fed-up business owners
THE ever-expanding Korsten taxi rank is causing tensions to run high between fuming shop owners and drivers who are competing for space in the bustling epicentre of the northern areas public transport routes.
And while Ward 11 councillor Abraham Isaacs said the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality had drawn up plans to address the burgeoning taxi rank, he was not privy to the information as yet.
However, the plans are of little value to taxi operators and shop owners in the area who anticipate an influx of residents to the rank – situated along Highfield and Durban roads and Cottrell Street – in less than two weeks when schools reopen.
Shop owner Gussein Abubhakar – who asked that the name of his business not be disclosed – said congestion in the area increased annually as more taxis were introduced along routes.
“The crime, the lack of parking for our customers and vulgar language are becoming a daily problem for us [shop owners] here.
“It is quiet now but when schools open you will see – unless you are a taxi driver, you can’t drive here because it’s too full,” Abubhakar said.
“And [taxis] have started parking on the kerbs in front of our shops, hiding them from view and blocking in our customers’ cars.
“It’s terrible and it is affecting our businesses.”
A rank marshal from PE District Taxi Association (Pedta), who asked not to be named as he is not authorised to speak to the media, said: “Every year there are more and more taxis, but we still have the same area to work with.
“Hence you will see more taxis parking along the roads, on kerbs and anywhere else they can find space.
“Also, all these shops result in the customers parking in what little space is left. Taxis need a demarcated area, otherwise it will continue to get out of control.”
Taxi driver Shelton October said: “What other choice do we have? There is no space to park anywhere else, and if you park too far from your route’s pick-up point you will lose your spot and your money.
“We need a set-up like in town, where there are special places for taxis to line up and queue off the main roads.
“This rank is becoming as popular as the one in town – it should receive the same facilities.”
Shop owner Misheq Mohammed said: “This is becoming unreasonable. The taxis park basically in our shops and they are taking up more and more space and affecting business.
“And they are not concerned about anyone, particularly pedestrians, when they are on the move.”
The additional taxis have seen the rank spill over to the entrance of Life Mercantile Hospital.
The Herald has previously reported on taxis causing obstructions at the hospital entrance where emergency vehicles struggled to gain access.
However, Life Healthcare spokeswoman Yolandi Shaw could not be reached for comment yesterday.
A similar situation began to develop at the Gardens shopping complex in Circular Drive following the centre’s rebuild about four years ago.
Pick n Pay store manager Gaynon Ludick said while it was on a much smaller scale than Korsten, he had noted the annual increase in taxis parked outside the centre in Lorraine.
“We have definitely noticed that more taxis are parking outside the centre and they increase annually. We used to have just two or three at most – now more than 10 at any given time can be seen,” Ludick said.
“However, it is still reasonably small at this stage and we haven’t received complaints from customers as yet. Our concern is that with all the new businesses opening in Circular Drive, such as Toyota, the number of taxis will continue to rise and that might become a problem.”
The municipality failed to respond to questions yesterday.