There is light at the end of the tunnel – or should that be the elevated freeway – for those who commute in and out of the Central City at rush hour.
In March, we alerted you to a new partnership between the City of Cape Town and the Cape Town Central Improvement District (CCID) to ease afternoon traffic in the CBD. The pilot project involves six CCID-funded and six City-funded wardens and kicked off in April.
These officers, who come from the City’s Traffic Services Department, have become a fixture on Strand Street at Buitengracht and Adderley Street at afternoon peak, where they intervene if traffic starts to gridlock.
They complement V&A Waterfront-funded wardens on Buitengracht at the entrance to the elevated freeway.
Outside of rush hour, the CCID deploys its wardens in other parts of the CBD to deal with non-moving violations. This is part of the organisation’s efforts to reduce congestion throughout the day within its boundaries.
If you’re a commuter who gets stuck in a jam leaving the Central City every afternoon, we’d love to hear what you think of this initiative. Do you think it’s improved the flow of traffic in and out of town? And if you drive through town during working hours, particularly lunchtime, are parking taxis and other vehicles still holding you up?
Please take part in our online poll and give us your feedback and/or recommendations.