Saleh Abrahams, Constantia
I travel up and down Southern Cross Drive every day and I see how travellers struggle to get their transport home.
There is no more place along Southern Cross Drive for taxis to pull off and stop as the City has planted barricades throughout the entire road.
This robs people of dignity and it is a real hazard and has caused many accidents and a man’s life was almost lost as he was knocked down while trying to get his lift home. It is scandalous that the City has used public money to deliberately discourage taxis from providing our staff
with this valuable service.
The taxis add value to our community and our society and should be treated with a little more consideration.
This brings me to my experience yesterday morning when a taxi was forced to stop in the road as there is now a high curb on Spaanschemat River Road below Pick * Pay. I indicated and tried to pass the taxi and almost got killed in the process as I did not see the oncoming traffic.
I survived, but
other people might not be so fortunate. The taxis now have no option but to stop in the road because they can no longer pull off. These new curbs pose a serious hazard and need more public participation and planning. Taxi facilities need to be planned and commuters need to be considered.
* Ward 62 councillor Liz Brunette responds: Taxis may stop anywhere along a road where they will not be contravening the traffic laws.
At a public meeting about taxi operations in Constantia in September last year, the City of Cape Town shared its plans to construct embayments at specific places along Southern Cross Drive, Spaanschemat River Road near Klein Constantia Road, and Ladies Mile Road.
It was also proposed that a portion of the parking area at the Alphen Centre be provided for taxi associations with a
route along Constantia Main Road, and a short-term holding area in the road reserve along Southern Cross Drive north-west of the Duckitt/Silverhurst intersection for Hout Bay-Wynberg taxi association drivers.
Bollards were
placed next to
Southern Cross
Drive between
Pinehurst and
Parish roads to prevent taxi drivers from parking in front of the houses.
Taxis on the route along Spaanschemat River Road are meant to turn around on the Constantia Village property where the commuters work, not endanger the lives of their passengers by pulling over just
before the intersection to drop off their passengers, and then crossing a solid white line against oncoming traffic.