A PARKING POLICY FOR THE CITY OF CAPE TOWN
1.
INTRODUCTION
The City was previously structured in many local municipalities which were
amalgamated into seven municipal local councils (MLC’s) as independent
administrations.
This resulted in various institutional paradigms and policy
approaches and instruments, including respective parking requirements,
management arrangements and pricing structure.
A number of key trends have emerged in the City during the past few years, and
some of these have direct and indirect influence on the development of a parking
policy. These trends include:
 Growth in private vehicle ownership
 Increase in peak period traffic congestion and all day traffic volumes
 Increase in road based freight movement and delivery activities
 Under-investment in public transport
 Change in nature and activity of commercial nodes and centres (Cape Town
CBD, Main Road, Wynberg, Claremont, Voortrekker Road, Goodwood, Parow,
Bellville, Kuilsrivier, Durban Road, Durbanville, Somerset-West, etc)
 Decentralisation of regional shopping centres
 Urban sprawl, amongst others
The availability and management of road space and parking has become an
increasingly complex and controversial issue for residents, commuters, visitors and
businesses City-wide, specifically in the destination areas with a high demand for
parking space (Cape Town CBD and other metropolitan commercial nodes such as
Bellville, Wynberg, Claremont, Parow, Strand, Kuilsriver, etc).
2.
DRAFT PARKING POLICY (JUNE 2009)
The National Land Transport Act (2009) emphasizes that public transport
restructuring, in conjunction with the Minimum Requirements for Integrated
Transport Plans (ITP’s), requires that ITP’s enhance the effective functioning of
cities, towns and rural areas. This is understood to be attained through integrated
planning of transport infrastructure and facilities, transport operations including
freight movement, bulk services and public transport services. It is also requires
that public transport be given a higher priority to private transport by providing
adequate public transport services and applying travel demand management (TDM)
measures and services, that provides incentives for sustainable mobility
management.
As part of the package of the review and update of the 2006-2011 Integrated
Transport Plan (ITP), the City’s Transport Department embarked on a process to
develop a Parking Policy for the City of Cape Town, regarded as an important
element of the ITP and its strategies.
3.
PARKING PROVISION, ENFORCEMENT AND MANAGEMENT
It is internationally accepted as a standard principle that the development of the
parking policy’s of major cities, evolve over time and expand in content and focus
on an incremental basis. The process requires regular review and update, based
on externalities and influences related to economic, spatial, land use, environment
and transport trends and needs.
As such, the Parking Policy for the City of Cape Town will evolve over time in terms
of comprehensivity and will continue to be reviewed to appropriately guide and set
the framework for transport and land use integration, land use management,
parking provision, parking enforcement and parking management. While the
Parking Policy nests within the ITP, parking provision, parking enforcement and
parking management is addressed through relevant City regulatory processes and
instruments and operational management and planning, as illustrated in the table
below.
INTEGRATED DEVELOPMENT PLAN (IDP)
Statutory
Policy
Regulatory
Regulatory
Operational
Integrated Transport Plan (ITP)
Parking Policy
Driver: Integrated Transport Planning Branch
Purpose: Framework, guidelines & tools – enable and manage
appropriate city development, parking provision, enforcement and
management
Parking Bylaw
Driver: Transport Network Operations Branch
Purpose: Management and enforcement of parking areas
Integrated Zoning Scheme (IZS)
Driver: Planning and Building Development Management
Branch, Strategy and Planning Directorate
Purpose: Parking parameters & requirements set for development
Parking Management Plan
Driver: Transport Network Operations Branch
Purpose: Efficient use of parking capacity
Table: Parking Policy: Integration and Alignment of Key Components
4.
PROCESS TO DATE
4.1
Parking Policy Development
A Draft Parking Policy (June 2009) was prepared as an outcome of the review and
update of the 2006-2011 ITP. In view of the technical complexities involved, the
resources available and the collaborative alignment requirement between the
parking policy and the Integrated Zoning Scheme (IZS) at that stage, the review
process largely resulted in a focus on the parking requirements and inputs
regarding the ratios into the City of Cape Town Integrated Zoning Scheme process,
lead by the City’s Strategy and Planning Directorate.
The development process for the Draft Parking Policy has included:
 Workshop on 28 May 2009 with the members of the Transport Roads and
Stormwater Portfolio Committee and the Planning and Environment Portfolio
Committee
 A progress report in November 2009 to both the above Portfolio Committees.
 Meetings between the Transport Department and the Planning and Building
Development Management (PBDM) Department officials ensured alignment
between the parking ratios required in the Draft Parking Policy and the IZS.
4.2
Draft Parking Bylaw Process
The Parking Bylaw process is in an advanced stage of development and is
expected to be approved by the end of 2010. The Bylaw will enable the improved
management of on-street parking and loading zones through enforcement of the
parking regulations.
The process to date include the following:
 Inter-departmental workshops held
 Engagement with sub-councils
 Public participation process and multimedia engagement with various
stakeholders
 Public comment closed on 30 September 2009
 Based on public inputs amendments to the by law
 Presently being redrafted and reviewed by the Legal Services Department
 Depending on outcome and response on the latter, forward to Portfolio
Committee for approval
4.3
Draft Integrated Zoning Scheme (IZS)
The IZS is in an advanced stage of development and is expected to be approved by
the end of 2010. The parking ratios proposed in the IZS were established after
consultation between officials of the Planning Building and Development
Management Department and the Transport Department. The Draft Parking Policy
includes the parking framework and the parking ratios.
The parking ratios relate to land use and the available transport mode. The parking
ratios attempt to encourage the use of public transport where available and also
contribute to the Travel Demand Management (TDM) programme in the ITP.
Where public transport is available, the parking ratios have been adjusted to
encourage the use of that mode. Provision is made for Standard, “Public Transport
(PT) Zones - PT1 and PT2 areas.
The parking ratios listed in the IZS are minimum parking standards, but the IZS has
also made provision for imposing maximum parking ratios by means of an overlay
zones (management zones). This will assist in encouraging the appropriate
transport modal choice and ensure that the space taken up by private vehicle
parking in identified areas, are minimized and ensure that the space can be
allocated to other modes of travel such as pedestrians, cyclists and public transport.
4.4
Parking Management
The setting aside of a previously awarded kerbside parking contract, by the High
Court, management of on-street parking at this stage is undertaken through interim
short-term, month to month contracts. Tenders were advertised in April 2009 and
the City awarded three contracts in the following areas:
Parking Management Contractor
1. Street Parking Solutions
2. Numque 20cc
3. ACE Parking Services
Area
- Cape Town CBD
- Bellville, Claremont, Sea Point
- Gordons Bay, Somerset West, Strand
These interim contracts commenced on 1 July 2009 and will continue until 30 June
2011, if necessary.
5.
WAY FORWARD
Noting the incremental nature of developing a parking policy for the City of Cape
Town, it is essential and technically prudent to continually monitor the externalities
and influences relating to economic, spatial, land use, environment and transport
trends and needs.
An evolving Parking Policy for the City of Cape Town is intended to be a
comprehensive policy document that sets the framework and responds to the short,
medium and long term development objectives and parking management needs, of
the City. As such a strategic approach is as follows:
Short Term: 1-3 years
 Identify City-wide parking policy areas requiring intervention in the short term
with alignment to economic, spatial, land use and transport strategies (i.e.
“densification strategy”, including others, of the City of Cape Town).
 Identify gaps (parking database development and data management) and
instruments (TDM, pricing, etc) to be contextualised, unpacked and detailed to
influence parking policy development.
 Prioritisation and expansion of parking management arrangements, in key
economic, commercial and destination zones in the City of Cape Town.
 Approval processes for specific short term elements in an evolving and more
comprehensive Draft Parking Policy.
Medium Term: 4-6 years
 Monitoring and evaluation of parking provision, management and enforcement
as per the Parking Policy, IZS and Parking Bylaw.
 Establishment of Parking Management Zones.
 Monitor and evaluate public transport improvements along key corridors in the
City of Cape Town
 Formulate appropriate parking management instruments
Longer Term: 7-10 years
 Review and amendment of the Parking Policy (specifically parking ratios).
 Monitoring and evaluation of parking provision and impact on urban form.