Residents are fed up with taxi driver’s poor parking in Fourways
Angry residents urge authorities to take action against inconsiderate parking habits of the city taxi drivers.
Fourways residents have had enough of taxi drivers parking their vehicles poorly and causing traffic chaos on the corner of Root Street and Fourways Boulevard.
Motorist have raised their frustrations with Ward 94 councillor David Foley. “I have been receiving a lot of complaints from frustrated motorists and some residents have been posting their complaints on social media for a year and a half now.
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“The problem has been ongoing for some time now, and despite efforts to address it, the situation remains unchanged. The issue has been reported to JMPD and Fourways Mall. Early this year the issue was also reported to the taxi associations in the city to help ease the situation, but to no avail.”
Candice Roodt, an angry resident and a motorist said, “I am very frustrated – 17 months of reporting to the councillor, but nothing. I’ve lost count of how many times I had to navigate around taxis parked on the road causing traffic jams. It’s not just inconvenient, it’s also dangerous. We have to wait for hours for taxi drivers while they park any which way on the roads causing traffic congestion in the mornings and afternoons.”
The Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) has confirmed that a multi-disciplinary operation, led by CRUM, was conducted earlier this year to address various issues around Fourways Mall, including the parking situation.
Spokesperson Superintendent Xolani Fihla said, “JMPD has made every effort to respond to all complaints received throughout Region A. These complaints deal with all three of the department’s mandates, which are traffic management, crime prevention, and by-laws enforcement.
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“The JMPD regional office will investigate the matter and take the relevant action accordingly.”
Foley explained that he has been on-site with the JMPD numerous times to control this matter but it returns soon after. “To resolve this, Fourways Mall has built a new parking area that will be launched by the end of June.”
Fourways Mall management was approached for comment, but none was forthcoming by the time of going to print.
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