Parkhurst to fight R8 parking fee
Angry shopowners, residents threaten to take court action
GOING Out in Parkhurst? Make sure you budget for parking.
Joburg has rolled out its new parking system which will see residents and business patrons who park on the street pay R8 an hour.
And in the next few months the system will be rolled out to 18 other mostly northern suburbs.
The system was started in the Joburg CBD and Braamfontein last year, causing many complaints among businesses and residents, with several businesses relocating.
Parkhurst businesses are now contemplating a class action to stop the move, saying the council did not follow provisions in its contract with Ace Parking Services, which included public awareness and consultation campaigns. – Anna Cox
PARKHURST residents and business owners and patrons are up in arms at having to pay R8 an hour for parking in their main streets.
The tariffs officially came into operation on Friday.
In some cases, parking outside homes has also been flagged, which means people visiting friends will be charged for parking.
Now businesses in this popular northern suburb are planning a possible a class action to stop the council in its tracks.
Parkhurst is the first of 18 mostly northern suburbs that will soon be forced to cough up for the street parking system, which involves wardens collecting cash upfront before allowing motorists to park.
The city first rolled out the system in the Joburg CBD and Braamfontein last year, causing many complaints. Several businesses claim they relocated because their customers refused to pay such high parking fees, while flat dwellers claimed they were getting up to eight fines a day.
Fuming Parkhurst residents, traders and local councillor Tim Truluck claim the move came unexpectedly, with no notice that the system was about to be put into operation.
Truluck said he was in the process of negotiating with Ace Parking Services to allow motorists a 15-minute leeway for quick stops.
But businesses are contemplating a class action to stop the system. They claim that, according to a contract between Ace Parking Services and Joburg, the council was to implement certain things before the system went live.
This included an awareness and consultation campaign with affected parties, the repair of sidewalks and the installation of poles onto which notices informing parkers of the fees were erected. None of this happened, they claim.
Parkhurst Village Residents’ and Business Owners’ Association chairwoman Cheryl Labuschagne said the first they knew of the implementation was a few days ago, when they saw people painting yellow numbers on the pavements.
“They were painted everywhere, including in loading zones. We called the local councillor, who was also not aware of this.
“Within three days they started implementing the system without warning,” said Labuschagne.
Jo Pinheira, owner of the Mugg & Bean coffee shop, said his customers were being
We were not given any warning
greatly affected and complained bitterly when traffic wardens started charging motorists on Saturday.
“We have started a petition, which we will be submitting to the city,” he said, noting that there were many convenience stores in the area where people made a quick stop to get things.
Under the new plan, Ace will receive 25.2 percent of the revenue, with the rest going to the city.
People are expected to pay upfront when they park, and to display the receipt inside the window of their vehicle.
If motorists refuse to pay, their details will be sent to the Johannesburg metro police department (JMPD), which will then issue tickets.
The tariffs will be levied on weekdays between 8am and 6pm and on Saturdays from 8am to 1pm.
However, residents say the system should rather operate at night, when parking is a major problem.
Another concern is that in some streets, parking spaces are demarcated in front of residents’ homes, meaning that if they have visitors, they will have to pay to park.
Residents fear that to avoid paying, people will start parking further down side streets, causing householders inconvenience, blocking driveways and leading to an increase in crime as cars will be unattended.
Bookshop owner Rob van Oosterhout said there had already been problems, with motorists getting into an arguments with wardens on Saturday.
Motorists have been parking free of charge in Joburg suburbs for the past six years following protracted battles between the council and the company that implemented the first privately run parking system.
In 2003, the director of prosecutions ruled that all fines issued by private companies were illegal.
According to JMPD spokesman Chief Superintendent Wayne Minnaar, “Businesses welcome the new system because many people, such as employees, take up the parking spaces for the whole day and customers cannot find parking, so they feel they are losing business.”
Other areas where motorists will be forced to pay for parking are Norwood, Melville, Corlett Drive including Melrose Arch, Brixton, Emmarentia, Rosebank, Roodepoort, Birnam, Parkview, Sandton, Florida, Fordsburg, Greenside, Linden, Rivonia, Craighall Park and Northcliff.