Complaints have come in from library goers who had been refused parking at the Sandton Library parking lot and were forced to pay for parking at Nelson Mandela Square.
“I even fought with the security guard who was outside when they wouldn’t let me park in the library parking lot,” said Baby Puso who was attending a book launch at the Sandton Library.
Now library users can use the parking lot, however, they have to pay to use it. Also, it appears as though anyone can use the parking, not just library users.
“This means students who need to use the library will have to pay as well,” said Megan Salvi, a library user.
The most anyone can pay for parking is R60, which is for 12 to 24 hours.
Salvi does not think it is fair that students, who need to spend hours at the library, will now have to pay for parking.
Keith Elliot, chairperson of Friends of the Sandton Library said he shared people’s concerns about the Sandton Library parking lot and that he was also trying to get some answers. “Unfortunately I am only the book man who does the community outreach work, and I can’t give you any answers,” said Elliot.
Ward 103 councillor Vincent Earp said the parking lot area has been sold by the City Of Joburg Property Company. He said he does not know to whom the property had been sold, and as far as he was aware, there had been no allocated parking space for library users since the parking lot was sold.
No comment was received from the property company at the time of publication.
“This is unacceptable that a public building has now lost its public parking,” said Earp.
He added that he did not know if there was a law that stipulated that a public building needed to have public parking. However, he expressed that he sympathised with the people who were upset by the new paid parking rule at the library.
This is a developing story. We will bring you more information as it becomes available.
