PMB’s paid parking system nightmare
The paid parking system in the Pietermaritzburg CBD is a nightmare for businesses and people visiting the city.
|||Durban - The paid parking system in the Pietermaritzburg CBD has become a nightmare for businesses and people working or visiting the city.
Parking for an hour costs R6 and if a motorist is late getting back to his vehicle he is slapped with a R300 fine.
A magistrate’s court employee, who declined being named, said the parking system was ludicrous.
“There are no special concessions for people who work in the city centre, so we are just expected to fork out R50 a day on parking. It’s absurd,” the employee said.
Bridget Jones of HR company Pronel in Greyling Street said her staff had calculated they would be spending R960 a month on parking.
“That is quite ridiculous considering there are no other options for parking in the area. Surely the option of a reduced rate or a monthly parking voucher for staff members would be more feasible and fair,” said Jones.
She said she had been operating her business from Greyling Street for 12 years and should no alternatives be offered to the parking system, she would consider moving elsewhere.
Samuel Naidoo, a Durban businessman who often travels to Pietermaritzburg for work and sees clients in the CBD, told the Daily News he had several nasty altercations with the “rude and arrogant” parking attendants who “demand money in the most uncouth fashion”.
“They become very aggressive if you question them about the parking system and how it works in terms of the hourly rate. One parking attendant in Church Street even threatened to assault me because I refused to pay him an extra R2 for being late,” he said.
”I think that is daylight robbery. It is not worth my while to conduct my business in Pietermaritzburg anymore,” Naidoo said.
The parking meter system was introduced to the city in February 2013 in a partnership between the city and a private company, Panzascore.
Msunduzi municipality acting spokesperson, Nqobile Madonda, said the paid parking system was beneficial to the city.
“Effective regulated parking for motor vehicles, outstanding parking turnover, sustainable jobs by formalising car guards, generating income for the city and creation of jobs are some of the benefits of the paid parking system,” said Madonda.
She said monthly passes or reduced rates could not be provided to staff of businesses as the bylaws did not allow for it.
Daily News
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